The Fairies of the Force
by TheBobcat18
Summary: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was particular wizard's guild, in a particular town, named Fairy Tail. A place known for their colorful wizards, and crazy attitude. When a young boy arrives at the guild, lost and confused, the guild will make him part of their family. But they will also invite an evil that has long ignored their home. Rewrite of The Dark Fairy.
1. A Fairy Tale

Fairies of the Force

Chapter 1

A Fairy Tale

Hargeon, one of the busiest ports in the kingdom of Fiore. Thousands of people passed through this port from around the entire Kingdom. Merchants looking to sell their wares through small, mobile carts. Ordinary citizens just passing through on the trains as they made their way to their final destinations. Rune knights from the Magic council reporting for assignment. And last but not least, the most outlandish of all the travelers that pass through this bustling town, the wizards.

You see, in this world there is magic. It is not just some novelty or a trick. No, in this world, magic is everywhere. It is used as an everyday tool by the people of Fiore. From clocks, to vision lacrimas, to starting fires, even cooking; magic is used as a convenient tool to make life easier for everyone living in the kingdom of Fiore. But there are a select few who not only use magic as a tool, but possess magic power themselves. These people are known throughout the world and throughout Fiore as wizards.

Now, you might be wondering how you could tell who is a wizard and who isn't? Well, normally you just have to look for the most abnormal person strolling through the street and most likely they possess magic of some sort. It was why the sea of people that normally strolled through Hargeon's main train station were steering clear of two strange looking people exiting one of the trains.

The first was a young woman. She wore a suit of Heart Kruetz armor along with a rather girly blue skirt and high black boots. A sword rested at her hip while behind her she dragged a small wooden cart loaded with dozens of suitcases and crates. The most striking feature of this woman though was not the obscene amount of luggage she possessed, nor the armor, but the color of her hair. It was a vibrant scarlet color.

Beside her stood a young boy, no older than ten years old. Unlike his companion, his hair looked somewhat normal. It was brown, slightly spiky. A normal haircut for a child his age. However, his attire was just as abnormal as his friend. Instead of normal clothes, or even armor, he wore a dark shirt and jeans with a brown hooded cloak thrown over his shoulders. The cloak was much too big for his small, skinny frame. The sleeves dropped past his hands while the tail of the cloak dragged along the ground behind him. If he had the hood over his head, it would have covered half of his face. Which would have made it impossible for him to see anything in front of him. Unlike his friend, the boy carried a small pack at his side.

The boy let out a loud yawn. Behind him the train he exited with his red haired companion bellowed a loud whistle. The conductor shouted all aboard, then the train began to chug away from the platform, leaving the two peculiar people at their destination. Over the roar of the train's wheels grinding against the steel rails, the red head heard the boy yawn loudly again.

"I told you to get some sleep while on the train." She said. She gripped the handle of her small wooden cart and began to effortlessly drag it, and it's mountain of contents, behind her.

"I can't really sleep on those things, Erza." The boy replied sleepily, "It's either too loud or it jerks around too much."

"Well if your going to be going on jobs with me, then you better learn how to sleep on a train." The red haired woman named Erza advised. Though she seemed rather irritated as she spoke. Her mouth was creased into a small frown as she walked alongside the boy.

The boy glanced at his upset companion, "What's up?" He asked innocently as the pair strode through the train station. All around them, people weaved by them. All of them either giving them curious glances or avoiding eye contact.

"Nothing, Joshua. Just keep walking." Erza replied curtly.

The boy frowned, "You don't exactly want me following you around do you?"

Erza stopped walking, "It's not that I don't want you around. It's just-" She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look kid, I normally take very dangerous guild jobs. Jobs that a young kid like you should be nowhere near. So I'm just trying to figure out the reason why Master decided to put me in charge of looking out for you."

Joshua shrugged, "Fair point I guess. You are…er... what was it called again?"

"A S-class wizard." Erza replied in a matter of fact tone, "And you are just a young trainee in the guild. So like I said, I'm trying to figure out why Master Makarov placed you with me instead of pairing you up with someone who could go a little more your speed."

The pair continued making their way through the train station. They passed several more train platforms before reaching a set of stairs. Both Erza and Joshua stopped. The stairs led out of the train station. A simple enough exit. There was just one problem though.

"You sure you can get your crap up there?"

A tick mark formed on Erza's forehead. "What did you call my stuff!?" She asked as she gave the boy a terrifying glare.

Joshua gulped and began sweating, "Um...w-wonderful th-things that are absolutely treasured and p-precious! Even to me!"

The red head's brown eyes narrowed dangerously, "That's what I thought you said." She turned her back to the stairs and gripped the cart handle with both hands, "Here is how we are doing this. I'm going to pull," She pointed an armored finger at Joshua, "You are going to push."

"WHA!" Joshua cried, "Are you crazy! That pile of crap is… like… twenty of me!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL MY STUFF!" Erza roared.

"N-nothing." Joshua quickly stammered, "I'll go push."

Erza nodded and readied her muscles. Meanwhile, Joshua went to the back of the cart. He stared straight up the tower of suitcases and boxes. The pile was so tall that he couldn't even see the top of it. He gulped and cringed before bracing himself against the many suitcases and boxes. He bent his knees and waited.

"Ready?" He heard Erza ask.

A shaky thumbs up emerged from the side of the cart.

"Alright." She shifted her grip on the cart handle, "Push!" Erza ordered.

Erza tugged sharply on the cart. The front wheels jumped up the first step. She then felt the back of the cart shift ever so slightly. But the back two wheels did not budge.

"Are you even trying back there?"

"Oh give me a break! I'm not Elfman, for crying out loud!" Joshua shouted back.

Erza frowned, "Very well. We will just have to try again."

"How about I pull and you push this time?" Joshua suggested as he peeked around the mountain of suitcases and boxes.

Erza narrowed her eyes at him.

"Right!" Joshua smiled nervously, "Let's just try again!"

* * *

"Um sir?" The train conductor said as he stared down at a young man lying on the train car's floor.

The man uttered a feeble groan. His cheeks then puffed out to an incredible size before he quickly swallowed and let out a long moan. The conductor simply sighed and rubbed his face. This was just his luck wasn't it? He had to get a crazy wizard on his train today.

This wizard in particular seemed especially strange. First of all, he had pink hair. Now, the conductor had been all over Fiore. He had guided trains from town to town; north, south, east, and west. And he had yet to see a man with pink hair before. Then there was the guy's weird attire. He wore an open black waistcoat with gold trimming, very baggy white pants that were cut off at his shins, sandals, and a strange scaly white scarf around his neck. Then there was the slanted eyes and sharp canines. Just from appearance alone, the conductor knew for certain that this passenger was a wizard.

His demeanor however, led the conductor to wonder just how competent a wizard this young man actually was. He had seen cases of motion sickness on his train before. In fact, he helped hand out barf bags on occasion for passengers suffering from the illness. But he had never seen a case so severe that the passenger was incapable of speaking or moving. Unfortunately for the conductor, he needed this passenger to move. He was the only one still on the train, and this train had to get moving to it's next stop.

"Sir." The conductor continued, "Could you please exit the train?"

"Give… me… a… moment." The pink haired boy groaned before he gagged again, "The world is still spinning."

The conductor stared dumbfounded at the boy, "B-but we are no longer moving. How is that possible?"

"It's a side effect to his magic." A high pitched voice answered for him.

The conductor's jaw fell open as he saw a blue, bipedal cat with a green backpack stride up to the pink haired boy. The cat placed a paw on the boy's shoulder and gave him a gentle rub.

"C'mon, Natsu. You gotta get up." The cat said with a cheerful smile.

"Can't… move… *gulp*... so sick."

A bead of sweat dripped down the cat's forehead, "But… don't you wanna find this Salamander guy."

Whatever the cat just said, it seemed to work. The boy's dark eyes blinked rapidly and he jumped to his feet.

"That's right!" Natsu exclaimed, "He's gotta be here, right!?" He glanced from the cat over to the conductor, "Right?"

"Um… who?" The conductor asked.

"Salamander of course!" Natsu replied, "You know of any guy going around calling himself Salamander?"

The conductor frowned, "No sir. I have not heard of anyone calling themselves Salamander. Now please, exit my train. I have another trip to conduct."

"Oh!" Natsu blinked, "Right." His face suddenly went pale, "I'm still on a train."

His legs trembled. His knees knocked and his arms began to wobble like noodles.

"Uh oh!" The cat cried. It suddenly sprouted angelic wings from it's back. It grabbed the boy's shoulders and gave his small wings and powerful flap.

"Sorry, mister conductor sir. Like I said, he doesn't like trains too much." The cat explained sheepishly, "C'mon Natsu, let's go find him!"

"A-aye, H-happy." Natsu trembled as motion sickness overcame him yet again.

Once Happy got Natsu onto solid, motionless ground, the pink haired man was instantly cured of his sickness. He scrambled to his feet. His head whipped to and fro as he looked around the busy train station. The train behind him whistled loudly. Natsu winced and picked at his left ear.

"Geez, does that thing always have to be so loud?" He wondered aloud.

"It wasn't that loud for me." Happy commented as his wings disappeared in a puff of smoke. He settled onto his feet beside Natsu and grinned, "So this is Hargeon!"

"Of course it is. And you've been here before, Happy." Natsu replied.

"Oh! I have!? I forgot." Happy smiled up at Natsu as the pair began to walk through the station, "Do they have good fish here?"

Natsu titled his head to the side, "Come to think of it, I think I forgot that myself."

"Well then, we will just have to go eat a lot of fish here then!" Happy declared.

"Aye, buddy!" Natsu replied with a toothy grin. He shifted the pack on his shoulders before taking a deep breath, "Salt air smells weird." He muttered before he continued walking.

The pair weaved through the crowds before reaching the main entryway to the train station. As they got closer, Natsu froze and sniffed the air.

Happy glanced at Natsu, "What's up?"

Natsu sniffed the air again, "I smell strawberries." He mumbled nervously.

"IT'S TIPPING OVER, ERZA!" A young voice screeched over the throngs of people.

"Make sure it doesn't then!" A stern woman's voice replied.

"And just how am I supposed to do that!?"

"Use your muscles!"

"What muscles!? I'm ten years old and-" The young voice let out a loud, terrified cry, "TIMBER!"

A loud crash filled the air, causing many of the everyday train travelers to stop in their tracks and glance over at the large dust cloud forming over by the stairs. As the dust settled, Natsu could see a large mound of suitcases and boxes littering the stone steps. Standing one step above the fallen mountain of stuff was a red haired woman dressed in armor. A woman that Natsu recognized instantly.

"No way." Natsu gasped.

"It's Erza." Happy muttered in shock.

Erza stared dumbstruck at the pile of suitcases. She then glanced down at her now shattered cart handle. Splinters covered her armored fingers as they tightened around the handle.

"M-my s-stuff." Erza growled dangerously.

Natsu didn't seem to notice the slow, burning fury building up in the woman. He simply let a wide smile spread over his face as he strode over to the stairs.

"Yo! Erza!" Natsu called.

The red head's seething rage suddenly disappeared. She glanced over at Natsu, a look of surprise crossing her face.

"Natsu! What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Natsu replied.

"We're looking for some guy named Salamander!" Happy explained cheerfully.

Erza cocked an eyebrow, "Salamander? Isn't that your nickname, Natsu?"

"Hm… well yeah." Natsu folded his hands behind his head, "But maybe this other Salamander guy is Igneel. I mean, he'd be the only other person to go by the name Salamander right?"

Erza rubbed her chin possibly. Neither person noticed the small mound of suitcases shifting while a young boy's panicked cries began to fill the air.

"So anyways, what're you doing in Hargeon?" Natsu asked.

Erza folded her arms, "There have been reports of a group of dark wizards operating in the area. And I have a hunch they may be led by a rogue wizard named Bora of Prominence." She replied.

Natsu whistled, "Wizard hunting! That sounds fun!"

"It will be. If everything goes according to plan." Erza replied.

"According to plan?" Natsu asked.

The very top of the mountain of fallen suitcases broke loose. Out of the top popped a ten year old boy. He gasped for air as he emerged from the mess.

"Oxygen! I need oxygen!" Joshua wheezed, "Suitcases crushing me! Lungs on fire! I'm dying!"

Erza sighed and closed her eyes, "One moment." She told Natsu.

Erza marched over to the suitcases. She gave her knuckles a quick crack before exhaling.

" **Requip!"** She barked.

Her body shimmered. A yellow magic circle appeared around her and the mountain of suitcases. A blinding yellow light consumed the area. Then, in an instant, the suitcases and boxes all vanished, leaving Joshua sprawled out on the stairs. The boy groaned then slowly sat up.

"You saved me." He wheezed.

Erza smacked him upside the head, "Quit being so melodramatic."

"Ouch!" Joshua howled, "Was that really necessary?"

"Since you broke my cart, yes it was." Erza replied as she held out a hand to the boy.

"That was on accident though!" Joshua gripped her hand and was hauled up to his feet.

Erza shook her head and turned back to Natsu.

"Who's he?" The pink haired boy asked.

"A new addition to the guild. I stumbled into him on one of my jobs." She glanced over at Joshua, "And he's kinda been following me around ever since."

"Like a puppy?" Happy asked.

"I'm not a damn dog!" Joshua snapped at the small, blue cat.

"Really!? You're new to Fairy Tail?" Natsu knelt down to Joshua's eye level. Obviously, the pink haired guy had no sense of personal space. Because the first thing he did once he got down to Joshua's ey level was lean forward and sniff the air near him.

"So what kinda magic do you use?" He asked.

"We don't know." Erza replied, "Like I said. I just kind of stumbled on him during my last job. He hasn't displayed any magic power. But Master seems to think that the boy has something special in him. He would not have allowed him into Fairy Tail otherwise."

"That or he got bit by the…. Uh… what was that word for feeling bad for someone again?" Natsu wondered.

"Sympathy." Joshua deadpanned.

"Yup, that's it. Maybe he got bit by the sympathy bug again?" Natsu suggested.

"Perhaps. Anyways, he is with us now. And," Erza sighed, "Master thought it would be a good idea for him to tag along on my jobs. He called it, 'a way for both of us to be more open and social with the rest of the guild'."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "Open and social?"

"I know. I'm just as confused as you are." Erza sighed, "Anyways, he's my responsibility now. Or, for the time being at least." Erza motioned to the stairs, "I'm about to go find a place to stay. Care to join us?"

"Huh?" Both Joshua and Happy exclaimed.

"Nah." Natsu waved off Erza, "Me and Happy don't plan on staying in town for very long. I mean, how hard could it be to find a guy named Salamander right?"

Erza gave Natsu a sympathetic smile, "I wouldn't get your hopes to high, Natsu." She advised, "You've had leads like this before. And they all seem to-"

"But this one is different! There have been multiple sightings." Natsu interrupted, "I've gotta check them out."

Erza smiled and shook her head, "You are just too stubborn for your own good. Very well, I wish you the best of luck."

"You too, Erza." Natsu grinned, "Hey, if you catch those dark wizards earlier than expected then we could all grab some grub later!"

"We will make sure to save you some fish!" Happy declared.

"You know what, that's not a bad idea."

"Food." Joshua exhaled, his mouth beginning to water.

"And you will have to wait, mister." Erza finished.

"But I'm starving!" He complained.

"Just be patient." Erza sighed, "Hopefully we will see you tonight, Natsu."

"Right!" Natsu then took. He bounded up the stairs and out of the train station. Before Erza lost sight of him, she saw him wave back at her, "Good seeing you again, Erza!"

Then he disappeared into the crowds of people leaving the station.

Joshua watched as the weird pink haired guy and his annoying blue cat left the station. He then glanced over at Erza, the redhead simply standing still watching her friend leave.

"Who the hell was that guy?" He asked.

"That was Natsu Dragneel, he's a member of Fairy Tail too." Erza replied. She began to walk up the stairs with Joshua in tow.

"Is he strong?"

Erza tilted her head to the side, "He has the potential to be strong."

"So you can beat him like a drum."

That elicited a laugh from the red head, "More or less. Though if he keeps getting stronger, it won't be long before he is able to compete with the strongest wizards in the guild."

The pair finally emerged from the train station. Joshua's eyes widened as he finally got to see the city of Hargeon in its full beauty.

Truly, it was a marvelous city to look at. The streets were made of glistening white stone that was clearly taken care of meticulously by the people who ran the city. Off in the distance, from the hilltop the train station rested on, Joshua could see the massive harbor that was responsible for Hargeon's existence. Dozens of ships, big and small, could be seen lazily lumbering in and out of the harbor. All of them guided by either the sun, or a large lighthouse that rested at a point near the edge of the town. The sparkling white streets all ran down the hill towards the harbor. Along the way, he could see dozens of little shops with second floor apartments. Little house dotted the streets with small flower beds resting along the wayside.

The sight brought a pleasant smile to Joshua's face. He was so enamored by the city, that he failed to notice that Erza had not stopped walking. When he finally noticed her far ahead of him, he jumped and went sprinting after her, the tail of his cloak dragging along the ground behind him.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" A blonde woman wearing a blue and white shirt with a short black skirt roared as she slammed her hands down on the counter top.

"Yes, ma'am," An elderly shopkeeper wearing a pointed blue hat replied, "This is the only magic shop in town."

The blonde woman huffed, "But how!? How is this the only magic shop in all of Hargeon? I mean, this is such a busy city."

"Well, ma'am," The shopkeeper began, "Most of us who live her are fisher folk or traders. Hardly any of us are wizards. I simply set this shop up to sell goods to those wizards that just so happen to be passing through here." He could see the disappointment growing on the blonde woman's face. Desperate to save a possible sale, he yanked out a blue velvet lined box from under the counter, "But, I do have the latest hot magic items in stock! Right now! Just for you!" He pulled out a small pin and stuck it to the lapel of his shirt, "Like this one! This pin will change the color of your shirt to any color, anytime. All of the girls love it. Watch this!" He snapped his fingers, "PURPLE!" His shirt instantly changed from orange to purple, "How about that, sweetheart?"

The blonde sighed despondently, "I already have that."

"Oh!" The shopkeeper dug into the box again, "How about this, the latest vision lacrima! Perfect for viewing all of your favorite dramas and-"

"Have it."

"Or this-er- thingy majigger." He asked as he held out a strange, cylindrical device that appeared to serve no purpose other than to be a paperweight.

"What even is that?" The woman wondered aloud.

"I'm not even sure myself." The shopkeeper replied, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head.

The woman sighed, "Honestly, I'm not really interested in any of that stuff." Her brown eyes began to wander to the shelves behind the counter, "What I'm really interested in are some celestial gate keys."

"Oh! For celestial spirit magic. That some powerful and rare stuff there." The old man snapped his fingers, "I think I have just the thing for you."

He reached underneath the counter again before producing a small, wooden box. He grinned then popped the latch open. Inside was a small silver key resting on a purple pillow. Instantly, the blonde woman's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"OH IT'S THE LITTLE DOGGY!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes. Although he's not a very powerful spirit, it is a celestial spirit key nonetheless."

"I don't care about power!" The woman cried, "I just have to have it. How much?"

The old man smirked. He had her now. "Twenty seven thousand jewel." He answered.

Her expression remained blank, "Um… what?"

The old man's smirk grew wider. He folded his arms across his chest, "Twenty seven thousand jewel."

The blonde's mouth fell open.

 _T-twenty seven thousand!_ She could hardly fathom the number. And for such a small celestial spirit. It wasn't even one of the incredibly rare golden zodiac keys. The price was absolutely ridiculous.

She stared slack jawed and the pleased old man. She had to get the price down somehow. The Blonde thought for a moment, then an idea popped in her mind. A sly grin ran over her face.

Much to the old shopkeeper's surprise, the girl sat herself up on his counter top, crossed her legs, then leaned forward, giving the old man the sweetest smile while at the same time pressing her arms closer together so that her chest swelled in front of him.

 _This has got to work!_

"Oh mister," She said sweetly, "Isn't there a way you can give me a little discount?"

* * *

"So we're after some guy named Bora?" Joshua asked as he struggled to keep up with Erza. His own short legs managed three steps for her every one. Already he could feel his muscles beginning to grow stiff. He was used to walking long distances, but walking this quickly at long distances was proving to be a challenge.

"His name is Bora of Prominence." Erza corrected.

"Why the weird title?"

"If I were to guess, it may be based off of the type of magic he may use."

"And do you we know what he looks like?"

Joshua didn't get a response at first. But when he did, he nearly face faulted on the spot.

"Nope." Erza shrugged.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Joshua cried, "So we are searching for some bad wizard guy and we have no clue what he looks like!?" He tugged at his brown hair in disbelief, "Do we at least have a clue as to what he might look like?"

"Just one." Erza replied, "He's apparently quite the charmer."

Joshua face palmed.

"I don't think it's like that, kid." Erza said plainly.

"Is there any other way to describe charming?" Joshua wondered aloud as the pair approached a large building with a sign that read, The Captain's Quarters Inn and Bar.

Erza arched an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, doesn't charming mean like… how did Cana put it?"

Erza's eye widened as she reached for the Inn's doorknob, "If you repeat any indecent thing Cana told you, you shall receive swift discipline from me." she threatened.

Joshua gulped, "Yes ma'am."

Erza nodded then pushed the door to the inn open.

The place seemed nice enough. It had simple furnishings in the main gathering room. A small fireplace sat against the far wall with several wooden chairs and benches near it. There was a large dining area filled with tables and chairs, most of them taken by patrons either enjoying lunch or a cold drink on a hot day. A set of stairs led up to the rooms above the dining room. Next to the stairs, was the bar where a lone man stood drying off mugs.

Erza moved across the room and up to the bar.

"I need a room for two." She told the man behind the counter.

"How long is your stay?" He asked monotonously. His eyes were still focused on the mugs he was cleaning.

"A day at the least." Erza replied, "If we end up staying any longer I will let you know."

The man shrugged, still not turning around to look at Erza, "Sure, whatever. Name?"

"Erza Scarlet."

The man nearly dropped the mug. He shakily turned around. His eyes bulged from his skull when he saw Erza standing across the counter from him.

"Th-the Erza Scarlet?" He stammered.

Erza gave the man a confused look, "Who else would I be?"

"PLEASE DON'T DESTROY MY INN!" He cried before hastily opening a drawer and yanking out a small key. His trembling hand held it out to Erza, "R-room Two. U-up the stairs on the left."

Joshua glanced at Erza, puzzled. The red head was just as confused as he was. Nevertheless, she gratefully took the key from the terrified innkeeper.

"Thank you, sir." She turned on her heel towards the stairs, "C'mon Joshua."

"Uh… sure?" He looked back at the trembling innkeeper before chasing Erza up the stairs, "What was that all about?" He asked when he caught up to her.

"I'm not entirely sure." Erza replied.

The pair reached their room in no time. It was a simple little place, very much like the dining room downstairs. Two small beds rested against one wall with a nightstand between them. A dresser sat across from the beds. The room did boast a nice, large window with a view of the harbor. Joshua whistled as he looked out the window.

"Nice." He muttered. He glanced back at Erza as the night sat down on the bed closest to the door, "When do we start?"

"We start in a moment. Let me just get a good look at this place." She replied as her brown eyes darted from corner to corner. It was as if she was inspecting every nook, ever cranny, and every shadow for some sort of threat, "The way that innkeeper spoke to us worries me."

"Why?"

"Because no one really greets us that way." Erza replied.

"To be fair to the guy, from what I've heard about Fairy Tail, you guys tend to go a little overboard on jobs."

Erza glanced at Joshua, "Where did you hear that?"

"Oh… everywhere." Joshua replied nonchalantly, "You all kinda got a bad reputation as troublemakers."

Erza frowned, "Careful kid. You're part of this guild of troublemakers now."

Joshua shook his head, "I don't got the stamp yet."

"You will soon." Erza replied, "Once Master thinks you're ready, you will get the Fairy Tail stamp. Then you will be an official member of the guild."

Joshua smiled, "Do you think that'll happen after this job?"

Erza shrugged, "It's up to the Master. But work hard and do your best, and who knows, it may happen sooner than you expect." She stretched her arms high above her head, "I suppose we should start searching before we get too comfortable. I'd prefer to get back to the guildhall as soon as possible."

Joshua nodded and followed the red head out of their room. Both quickly exited the inn and entered the streets of Hargeon once again. Once on the streets, the pair began to just casually wander through the shops and markets. Erza's eyes were constantly moving, but at the same time she seemed very relaxed. She even stopped to talk to some shopkeepers and to browse their goods.

Meanwhile, Joshua seemed to grow more antsy. He couldn't stand the waiting. He wanted the action to start on this job already. He was going after dark wizards with Titania of Fairy Tail. He had heard of stories about her, but to actually be working alongside her was something else entirely. It made both anxiety and excitement build up in him. He could not stop moving beside her. When they were walking, he would have a slight skip in his step. When they stopped, he would swing his arms side to side.

After a couple hours of wandering, Joshua felt himself let out a long breath. His anxiety was slowly going away, and the excitement had drained away long ago. This job was nothing more than walking around. It was starting to become… dare he say it, boring. Erza noticed the boy's enthusiasm starting to lower.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"What are we doing?" Joshua replied.

Erza smiled, "We are searching."

"More like shopping." Joshua replied as he and Erza turned a corner onto a street that held several armor shops.

Erza shook her head, "You don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"We are doing this to maintain a low profile."

Joshua arched an eyebrow, "Kinda hard to maintain a low profile when you look like us."

"Wizards pass through here all the time." Erza retorted, "The citizens of Hargeon as well as the Dark Wizards we are after know this. So the dark wizards will be wary and will not do anything to attract attention to themselves. They will be on their guard, watching for guild wizards who may be coming after them. So we must be just as vigilante, while at the same time, we must be as inconspicuous as possible."

"SALAMANDER!" A woman screamed in delight.

Erza and Joshua stopped in their tracks as a crowd of beautiful women rushed past them. The pair looked at the crowd puzzled. Then they saw who they were running towards.

It was a man with striking dark blue hair and a sharp jaw. He wore a slick smile and ornate clothing complete with a cape. A dark tattoo sat above his eyebrow. As the flock of woman reachedh him, the man's smile grew wider and he addressed them all.

"Ladies, ladies. One at a time, please." He said smoothly.

Some of the girls swooned. Others squealed even louder. Meanwhile, both Erza and Joshua could only look on in confusion.

"What is up with them?" Joshua asked.

"Maybe a celebrity of some sort?" Erza wondered.

Joshua blinked, "Hey wait a moment! What was that guy's name, again?"

Erza blinked as well, "Those women called him Salamander."

"So that's the guy Pinky is looking for?" Joshua assumed as he recalled meeting Natsu Dragneel at the train station.

Erza frowned, "It appears so. Though… he doesn't look much like how Natsu described him."

"But he's called Salamander right?" Joshua replied as a blonde woman entered the throng of woman, a completely captivated expression on her face.

"He-" Erza suddenly shook her head. Her eyes blinked several times. She seemed to be getting hot. Joshua noticed some sweat beginning to bead on her forehead. Her pupils were also dilating as she looked at Salamander even more, "He's definitely Salamander." She muttered before shaking her head again.

"Hey Erza? You dizzy or something?"

The red head placed a hand on her head, "I'm… not sure." She looked at Salamander, "But for some reason, I really want to go see this guy."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "I didn't take you for the kind of girl that likes celebrities."

Erza ignored him and began to step towards Salamander. Right as she got halfway to the man, a familiar voice erupted through the squeals of the women.

"HEY IGNEEL!" Joshua's eyes widened as he saw Natsu Dragneel and Happy force their way through the crowd, the pair accidentally knocking the blonde woman over as they got close to Salamander, "Igneel it's me!"

Natsu froze then frowned. His arms drooped, "Who the heck are you?"

With those words, Natsu unleashed hell on himself. Every woman near him pounced on him with a fury. Everyone that is, except for Erza and Lucy. Although Erza was moving much more quickly now. A wide smile was on her face as she approached Salamander.

"Ladies, ladies, please." Salamander said with a cool grin, "Don't hurt the kid. It's not his fault he doesn't know who I am." Salamander replied. He then whipped out a piece of paper and a pen, "I am Salamander, fire mage extraordinaire. Here's my autograph." He handed Natsu the signed paper.

Natsu gave Salamander a puzzled look, "Nope. Still no clue."

The women were about to jump on Natsu again when the blonde grabbed his wrist.

"Sorry, Mr. Salamander. My friend here doesn't get out much. I'll get him out of your way."

Salamander looked at the blonde. Joshua noticed that he looked surprised. But that flash of surprise disappeared quickly.

"It's not a problem, miss. You have a lovely day."

"You as well." The blonde waved before she quickly rushed Natsu away from Salamander.

Natsu struggled against the blonde's grip, "Hey! What're you-" Natsu stopped when he saw Erza moving towards Salamander, "HEY ERZA!" He shouted.

The red head suddenly froze. She seemed to shudder in place, her head and legs trembling. Almost like she was resisting the pull of something. Joshua cautiously moved up to Erza and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, Erza. Are you doing ok?"

She felt extremely hot. Her cheeks were red for some reason. And was it just Joshua's imagination, or was she breathing hard? He reached up and tugged on her armored shoulder. This seemed to stir the red head a little more. She blinked several times before a puzzled look rushed over her face.

"What am I doing?" She wondered aloud.

"Hey Erza!" Joshua bellowed into her ear, causing the red head to wince.

"Don't shout in my ear!" She growled back.

"S-sorry." Joshua trembled.

"HEY ERZA!" Natsu yelled in her other ear.

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY, NATSU!" Erza bellowed as she swung an uppercut at the pink haired boy.

"Why me!?" Natsu cried as he was punched in the jaw. He flew into the air several feet before landing hard on the ground. His eyes spun and his mouth hung open. He was out cold.

The blonde stared flabbergasted at Erza, "H-hey what did you do that for!?"

"I warned him." Erza muttered.

"A-actually, y-you warned me." Joshua nervously corrected.

"Not now, kid." Erza glanced over at the Salamander. Over the cries of the women, she heard him mention something about a party on a yacht. Erza shook her head, "Strange." She mumbled.

"Hey, aren't you going to answer me?" The blonde pointed at Erza, "And just how do you know this guy!?" She pointed at Natsu.

"Hm? Natsu? He is my guild mate."

The blonde blinked, "W-wait? Guild mate." Her eyes widened, "You guys are wizards?"

Erza nodded, "Yes we are."

The blonde grew starry eyed, "OH MY GOSH! You are wizards! This is so exciting! I'm actually talking to guild wizards! And you saved me from that Salamander guy and-"

Erza raised a hand, stopping the blonde mid sentence, "Hold up, saved?"

The blonde jumped, "Oh, right." She glanced over at Salamander as he handed out more autographs, "Not here." She whispered to Erza, "Let's go get something to eat. I'll tell you then."

Erza narrowed her eyes. She was immediately on the alert. Something was very wrong here in Hargeon. Specifically with that man named Salamander. She couldn't act with no evidence or reason. That would bring the rune knights in this town crashing down on her and Natsu. That was the last thing she needed on this job. However, this blonde seemed to have information for her.

Very well." Erza nodded, "Your name?"

"Lucy Heartfilia." The blonde replied with a smile.

"AWESOME! We are going to get food!" Joshua pumped a fist, "I'm starving!"

"Me too." Happy said as he hovered over Natsu. The blue cat hauled Natsu, who was still unconscious, up off the ground, "I could go for some fish."

"Well, I know just the place." Lucy folded her arms, proud of herself. Her eyes then widened and her pupils dilated.

"That cat just talked."

 **HELLO EVERYBODY! Welcome to the rewrite of the Dark Fairy! For those of you who coming over from the original story, welcome back! As you can tell, this story is already off to a way different start. For any new readers, I welcome you as well and I hope you all enjoy the story.**

 **Now you all may be wondering, why a rewrite? Well, for one, I reread my original work. And… yeah, I feel like I could do a lot better. Especially after I also rewatched the Fairy Tail anime. I've received some very helpful criticisms of the original story as well and I have learned some very valuable lessons of story telling and writing since then. The Dark Fairy was quite literally only the second story I had ever written, and the first that I had ever even completed. So it was a huge learning curve for me when it came to constructing a story, planning it out, researching, writing, grammar, structure, editing. So, I've decided to treat the original like a first draft. This one I hope will be even better than the original story!**

 **Also, I wanna give a huuuuuge shout out to the user** _ **gokufighter18.**_ **He was instrumental in correcting my original work as well as helping work out many problems that were in the story that I was not aware of at the time I wrote it. He has helped me find plot holes, flaws in character motivations, etc. that I had never noticed and would never have noticed without his extremely helpful criticism.**

 **Now, with this story, each chapter I post is going to be a long one. I'm expecting this rewrite to easily surpass 1,000,000 words. It's gonna be one heck of a journey and I can't wait for you all to join me on it.**

 **With that being said, let me know what you all think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	2. Officially an Unofficial Fairy

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 2

Officially an Unofficial Fairy

Lucy felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of her head as she sat in the small restaurant booth. Across from her, Joshua and Natsu were currently devouring every single piece of food in front of them. Chicken legs, corn on the cob, noodles, rice, ribs, steak, fruit, even broccoli, nothing was spared from their immense appetite. Even the red head to Lucy's side seemed stunned by the amount of food the pair were consuming.

Beside Natsu was the blue talking cat, Happy. He was happily munching on a fish. His eyes were closed in delight as he savored every bite. Occasionally, Lucy would hear the cat actually moan (or perhaps purr?) as he took another bite.

 _These guys are beyond strange!_ Lucy thought to herself as she watched the trio devour yet another course of food.

"Geez, you three act like you haven't eaten in days." Lucy smiled sheepishly.

"We feel like it!" Both Natsu and Joshua said at the same time before the pair began devouring yet another course brought to them by the waitress.

"Aye!" Happy piped up, his mouth full of fish as he spoke.

"The three of you need to stop speaking when your mouth is full." The red haired knight to Lucy's side said through grit teeth.

Natsu seemed to freeze. A look of terror crossed his face for a brief moment. It quickly disappeared though as he gulped down the food that was in his mouth.

"Aye sir." He nodded to the red head.

Meanwhile, the young boy named Joshua just gave the woman a thumbs up then continued polishing off another plate of beef.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. These two were wizards, yet they seemed to both answer to this red haired knight. But why? Lucy recalled the woman saying she was also a wizard.

 _Could it be that she has more authority than these two in whatever guild they're in?_ Lucy wondered to herself.

She caught her eyes drifting over to the woman. She seemed so stern but also very calm. Unlike her comrades, she ate her food with a certain grace. She would occasionally wipe the corners of her mouth with a napkin in an almost dainty fashion before proceeding to cut small bites of her own food. Yes, she was clearly the opposite in behavior compared to the two pigs across from her. To Lucy, she seemed almost normal. The armor and striking red hair of course being the obvious exceptions to that observation.

So she had to be the leader of this group. She certainly acted like it. If she wasn't ordering the two boys around, then she was observing her surroundings. It was like the knight was constantly on the lookout for a possible threat. And if she wasn't the leader, and these wizards were all equals when it came to status in the guild, then perhaps the red head was just that much more powerful? It did depend on the guild too, some guild's hierarchy are based on strength. Others are not. And for the life of her, Lucy could not seem to figure out just what guild these weirdos were members of.

"S-so," Lucy began, "Um, what guild are you all in?"

Natsu and Joshua glanced at each other. Natsu was about to open his mouth to speak when a stern glare from Erza forced his jaw closed.

"Chew." Erza ordered. Natsu's jaw worked furiously. "Swallow." Natsu gulped loudly, "You may now speak." Erza nodded.

"Aye!" Natsu turned his shoulder to Lucy, displaying a strange red stamp emblazoned proudly over his tan skin. It appeared to be in the shape of a fairy. A fairy with a tail to be exact.

"We're members of Fairy Tail." Natsu grinned.

Lucy's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "F-Fairy T-Tail." She stammered.

"Aye!" Natsu and Happy crowed. Joshua simply nodded before focusing on another piece of corn on the cob.

"A-all of you are members of Fairy Tail?" Lucy gulped.

"We said that didn't we?" Natsu asked Happy.

"Maybe she didn't hear us?"

"Technically I'm not." Joshua shrugged, "I don't have the stamp yet."

She shook her head in order to get her mind out of the shocked haze it was in, "I heard you just fine! I just-" She suddenly grew giddy with excitement. Her lips parted into a wide smile and she let out a small squeal, "AHHHH! I can't believe I'm eating with wizards from the Fairy Tail guild! This is amazing!"

"What's so amazing about eating with us?" Natsu asked.

"What's so amazing!? You guys are members of Fairy Tail! Only the most popular and amazing guild in all of Fiore!" Off to the side, she saw the red haired woman crack a small smile, "I read about you guys all the time in Sorcerer's Weekly! The adventures and, well, misadventures you all go on are so entertaining and fantastical. It's almost hard to believe sometimes."

"Really?" The red head replied, "What kind of adventures have you read about?"

"Oh! Well, I've read about some guy named Salamander who uses fire magic that can't be found in stores. He tends to go way overboard on his jobs. Half the time he destroys the town he's working in by accident."

Erza cast a venomous glare at Natsu. The pinkette began to sweat bullets while Lucy continued her starry eyed retelling of stories she saw in Sorcerer's Weekly.

"Oh! Then there is Erza Scarlet! The Fairy Queen, Titania. From what I read, she is probably the most powerful wizard in the entire guild! AH! To meet her would be a dream come true!" Lucy's face suddenly fell, "But someone as powerful and amazing as her probably wouldn't give me the time of day."

Across the table, Joshua nearly choked on a piece of lettuce.

"Uh… Miss Lucy." He coughed, "You do realize you are-"

"Oh! Oh!" Lucy cut him off, "Then there is Mirajane Strauss. She is so beautiful! She's always doing the centerfold for Sorcerer's Weekly. From what I know, she's consistently voted the most beautiful wizard in all of Fiore."

Off to the side, the red head grit her teeth.

"Is she now?" She growled under her breath.

"Um, Lucy-"

"And then there are the other amazing wizards there!" Lucy cried, "Loke! The guild's most eligible bachelor!" Natsu and Joshua arched an eyebrow in confusion, "And Gray Fullbuster." A small blush appeared on Lucy's face, "From what I've seen in the magazine, he's kind of cute."

"THAT ICE POP AIN'T CUTE!" Natsu suddenly bellowed as he jumped to his feet. Lucy jumped in her own seat. The boy's sudden outburst clearly startled her.

"Natsu." The red head growled, "Sit down."

Natsu gulped and began to tremble as her glare turned even more threatening. Even Lucy couldn't help but tremble as she looked at the woman's gaze. How was it possible for her to be so terrifying, not just for her, but for her fellow guildmates?

 _Maybe she really is that much stronger than these jokers?_

"Uh… anyways," Lucy exhaled, "Like I was saying, Fairy Tail is awesome. I'd love to join them someday."

"Huh? Join em?" Natsu parroted.

Lucy nodded excitedly, "Yeah! You see," She grinned then pointed her thumb at her chest, "I'm kind of a wizard too."

The three fairy tail wizards she sat with remained silent. Each one seemed to look at her funny. Happy pulled the first he was gnawing on out of his mouth.

"You don't really look like a wizard." The cat said nonchalantly.

Lucy huffed, "Well I am!"

She reached into her pocket and withdrew a small key ring. On the key ring were six keys. Three of the keys were silver. The other three were a brilliant gold color.

"See these key? These are celestial spirit keys." Natsu narrowed his eyes in confusion. Joshua was too busy eating a second steak to really care. But the red head was listening to Lucy with interest, "That is my magic too. I am a celestial spirit wizard. That means I can call on celestial spirits that I have a contract with and summon them with these keys."

"Are these spirits strong?" Natsu asked simply.

"Huh?" Lucy seemed taken aback by the question, "Well, it depends really. The silver keys for example are pretty common to find. Most magic shops have them actually. Normally they just help with daily tasks. Like," She held a key between her fingers, "This one is Horologium, the clock."

"You need a spirit clock to tell you the time?" Joshua wondered.

"No!" Lucy snapped back, "He has more uses than that."

"Then why is he called The Clock?" Joshua asked.

"Joshua," The redhead warned, "Don't be rude."

"Yes ma'am."

"As I was saying," Lucy continued, "The silver keys are pretty common. So they aren't the strongest spirits when it comes to a fight." She gripped on of the golden keys in her hand, "but the gold keys are super rare. There are only twelve of them in existence. One for each sign in the zodiac. And I just so happen to have three of them." Lucy grinned with pride. She pointed at each gold key, "This one is the Water Bearer, Aquarius. This one is the Golden Bull, Taurus. And this one is the Giant Crab, Cancer."

"GIANT CRAB!" Natsu cried, his mouth suddenly watering.

"Giant crab legs." Happy replied. His voice wavered as his mouth began to water.

"I could go for some crab legs." Joshua muttered.

"All three of you have had enough to eat." The red head folded her arms over her chest, "That is rather impressive Lucy. To have such rare magic items in your possession speaks volumes of your skill as a wizard."

Lucy waved off the woman's compliment, "Oh I don't know about that. I like to think I just got lucky winding up with them."

"There's no such thing as luck." Joshua commented.

"Surprisingly, Joshua's right. There are no such thing as coincidences in this world." Erza noted, "You were meant to have those keys for a reason. And I feel that reason is because you are a very capable wizard."

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, "I'm not that great. I mean, I hope to be a great wizard like Titania someday. But I've got a lot of work to do in order to even reach that goal."

Lucy blinked, "Speaking of members of Fairy Tail, I know your names," She gestured at the boys sitting across from her, "But I haven't caught your name yet." She looked over at the red haired woman.

The woman smiled. She set her utensils down her empty plate, wiped her mouth with a napkin, then held a hand out for Lucy to shake.

"My name is Erza Scarlet."

Lucy remained expressionless for a moment. Then the name registered in her mind. Her pupils shrank and her eyes widened. Her jaw fell open. She tried to say something, anything, but no sound came out of her mouth. Across the booth, both Joshua and Natsu were doing everything they could to contain their laughter.

"Eh?" Lucy finally managed to squeak out.

Erza calmly took Lucy's limp hand, shook it, then allowed it to fall back to the blonde's side.

"This has been a pleasant meal, Miss Lucy. And we do enjoy your company," Erza began, "But as I recall, you brought us here for a reason."

"Y-you're T-tit-titania!?" Lucy stammered breathlessly.

Natsu arched an eyebrow, "I think you broke her, Erza."

"Did I?" Erza wondered. The knight cracked her knuckles, "I suppose I must fix her then."

"This is about to go way overboard isn't it?" Joshua commented.

Natsu folded his arms then nodded, "Yup." He nudged Joshua, "You happen to have any potions on you?"

Joshua arched an eyebrow, "Do I look like a walking backpack?"

Lucy blinked. Her mind slowly exited the stupefied haze she was in. Natsu had just asked if Joshua had any potions. She assumed the pinkette meant healing potions. Why would he ask that?

She then heard Erza's knuckles crack again. All color ran away from the blonde's face.

"AH! N-no, that's not necessary!" Lucy exclaimed as she frantically waved her hands in front of her face, "I'm not broken just… um… stunned, I guess. I never ever thought I'd actually meet someone like you in person, Ms. Titania!"

Erza smiled softly, "It's just Erza, Lucy." She replied, "Now, you brought us here to..."

The color returned to Lucy's face as she recalled why she had pulled the wizards into the restaurant with her.

"R-right. Well, you know that Salamander guy we all ran into?"

The three wizards from Fairy Tail nodded.

"I think he was using charm magic."

Happy stopped munching on his fish. Joshua froze in place, a turkey leg inches from his teeth. Natsu's toothy grin turned into a scowl. To Lucy's side, Erza's fists tightened at her sides.

"Charm magic?" Erza repeated.

Lucy nodded, "Yes. I mean, how else could he get all of those girls to fawn over him like that?"

"Maybe he really is that famous?" Joshua suggested.

"But he's not even a Salamander, so how could he be that famous?" Happy noted.

Natsu leaned back in his seat, "You got that right. I bet that poser can't even breathe fire."

Lucy gave Natsu a puzzled look. Before she ask about his comment, Erza spoke up.

"Charm magic is strictly forbidden by the Magic Council." She growled, "Damn it!" Her fist pounded into the table, cracking the fine finish in the wood. "I knew something was off the moment I laid eyes on that man. And to think that charm spell nearly worked on me too!"

Both Joshua and Natsu gulped. Erza was getting angry. And that was never good for the health of anyone nearby, be they friend or foe. Already, Natsu was glancing around looking for a suitable hiding spot. Joshua on the other hand was tense, his small legs ready to burst towards the front door if needed.

"Yeah," Lucy nodded, unaware of Titania's growing fury and the consequences that came with it. She looked over at Natsu. The boy was slowly sinking down in his seat, doing his best to avoid eye contact with Erza, "And you saved me from the charm spell."

Natsu arched an eyebrow, "I did?"

Lucy nodded, "You bumped into me and distracted me enough to break the spell. And now that I'm aware of it, the charm spell no longer has any affect on me." She smiled at Natsu, "So thanks!"

Across the table, Joshua set down the turkey leg. Something was bugging his mind. A fact about his and Erza's quarry that he was struggling to remember? That fugitive, Bora of Prominence, how did Erza describe him again?

Joshua gasped, "Hey Erza!"

"Yes?" She replied. Her teeth were clenched together. She was still seething at nearly being caught by a charm spell.

"Didn't you describe that Bora guy as charming?"

Natsu and Lucy both looked at Joshua in confusion. Erza meanwhile, forgot her rage. Realization dawned on her face.

"I did. Didn't I?" Erza's eyes narrowed, "That bastard is using a charm spell for his own evil ends. The Salamander, or should I say, the imposter Salamander, is Bora of Prominence." A small flash of light appeared around Erza's hand. Once it dissipated, a small piece of paper with the official magic council stamp was clutched in her fingers, "He is wanted by the magic council."

Lucy's eyes widened, "You mean I was almost charmed by a criminal!?"

"Well we gotta go roast this guy now!" Natsu declared, his lips parting into an eager smile, "I'm already getting fired up!"

"No." Erza ordered, her strong voice instantly making Natsu freeze in his seat, "We need to be careful. Whatever Bora is doing, he isn't doing it alone. If he was just a rogue wizard acting on his own, the council wouldn't have put such a substantial reward out for his capture. There is something else at play here. It would be best if we don't go in without some sort of strategy."

Lucy glanced at the three wizards, "C-cool I guess. Well, thank you for hearing me out. If it helps at all, that guy was saying he was holding a party on some yacht he had tonight. Maybe you will find him there?" Natsu and Erza glanced over at Lucy, "And thank you for saving me." The two wizards looked at each other, small smiles slowly began to creep over their faces. Joshua meanwhile, looked puzzled at the older wizards, "Now, I need to get going." Lucy said, "I mean, I want to join a guild eventually. And well," Lucy shifted her feet nervously, "I'd love to join Fairy Tail. But I have a feeling that I need to go to the guild hall and apply or something?" The blonde looked outside, "It's getting late. The last train to Magnolia will be leaving soon. So-"

Lucy stopped speaking. She watched as both Natsu and Erza nodded to each other.

Erza rose to her feet and stood in front of Lucy, blocking her exit from the booth.

"Congratulations, Lucy Heartfilia." She whipped her sword out. A look of fear and panic filled Lucy's face. The blonde squeezed her eyes shut and shivered. Then she felt the cold steel tap her shoulders, "You are officially an unofficial member of the Fairy Tail guild."

Joshua spat turkey from his mouth, "You can do that?"

Lucy's eyes shot open, "W-wait, seriously?"

"Yup!" Natsu grinned. He leaned back in his seat, folded his hands behind his head, and kicked his feet up on the table. He nearly knocked over some dirty dishes as he moved, "Welcome to the guild, Loony!"

Lucy would have corrected the pinkette. After all, it was very rude to mispronounce someone's name. Then again, she was way too happy to worry about how others said her name. Somehow, someway, she had just been made a member of Fairy Tail. Her dreams of being a guild wizard were happening so fast! And all she had to do was talk to Fairy Tail's guild members? Was it really that easy to get it!?

"One condition though." Erza warned, raising a hand and tempering Lucy's excitement.

"What would that be?" Lucy asked, "Name it and I'll get it done."

Erza closed her eyes and smiled. Yes, Lucy would fit right in at Fairy Tail. The blonde seemed to have plenty of spirit. And in Erza's experience, Celestial Spirit Wizards were not pushovers. They were highly versatile and very skilled at many things. Lucy would do well in Fairy Tail. Though Erza may not be able to induct members personally, she would absolutely give Lucy a stunning recommendation. She would be allowed in as soon as she stepped foot into the guild hall.

"You have to-"

"Pay for the meal!" Natsu grinned.

Lucy blinked. Erza froze and shot a warning glance at Natsu. The pinkette rubbed his full belly then belched.

"That was delicious. But I'm kinda broke." He looked over at Joshua.

"Do I look like I have any money?" Joshua replied.

"Oh." Natsu looked at Erza and cowered at her frustrated expression, "Did I say something wrong?"

"I thought we were on the same page here, Natsu."

The pink haired wizard raised an eyebrow, "Sure we are. Someone's gotta pay for the food."

"Really?" Lucy replied, "That's not bad. I can do that." Lucy squeezed past Erza and began to walk towards the bar area, "Let me just get the check and-"

"And." Erza continued, "You will help us capture Bora of Prominence."

Lucy froze in place. Her head slowly turned to look back at Erza. Sweat began to bead down her face. Her hand felt clammy. Butterflies bounced around in her stomach and her knees began to knock together.

"Whoa!" Natsu whistled, "You're getting your first guild job today too! Awesome! You'll definitely fit in at the guild." The pinkette jumped to his feet, "C'mon Happy! We gotta pick up that fake Salamander guy's scent."

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

The pair rushed out of the restaurant. Hot on their heels was Erza and Joshua. When Erza reached the door, she turned back to look at Lucy, who was still frozen with fear.

"What are you waiting for Lucy?" The redhead asked, "Let's get going. I'll explain the plan on the way." She ran out of the restaurant.

Joshua was about to follow her out when he stopped as well and looked at Lucy, "Oh… and don't forget the tip!"

….

It was a cool night in Hargeon. The air was crisp and refreshing. A soft wind washed over the city from the sea, carrying the soothing smell of the ocean with it. Most of Hargeon was already beginning to retire for the night. Shops were closing. Houses were turning out their lights. Only the bars really remained open. But even at this late hour, they hardly had any patrons. The only source of activity occurring was near the docks, where four figures and a small cat stood in the shadow of a large warehouse.

"That dress looks perfect on you." Erza said to Lucy. The redhead then frowned, "But I can't help but feel you may need higher heels for it."

"Well, I'm not as tall as you. Sorry if that makes _your_ dress look a little long." Lucy hissed back as she smoothed out the dress around her legs, "You're serious though? I look good in it?"

"Absolutely." Erza nodded, "What do you think boys?"

Both Natsu and Joshua were leaning up against the warehouse wall. Natsu glanced at Lucy and pursed his lips. He shrugged.

"It's just a dress."

"I'm bored." Joshua commented.

"It's not just a dress!" Lucy cried, "If a woman asks how she looks in a dress you always respond with a compliment!"

"But what if you look fat in that dress?" Happy asked.

Lucy gave the cat a menacing glare, "You're pushing your luck, cat."

"Quiet, all of you." Erza hissed suddenly. She pointed to a large boat across the street from them.

Small lights began to flicker on the boat. Then lamps came alight. They lined the railings and ropes of the yacht, providing the perfect amount of lighting for a romantic midnight soiree. All four wizards could see figures moving around on the ship. But they couldn't make out any details. Then they heard dozens of women come rushing from around the corner towards the yacht.

Each girl was in their best dress. All of them wore fancy makeup. And every single one of them wanted to board the yacht first. As soon as they passed by the four wizard, Erza nodded to Lucy.

"Now's your chance."

Lucy gulped, "I can't believe you are making me do this!"

"You wanna be a part of Fairy Tail right?" Erza asked.

"Yes." Lucy whined.

"Then get your butt on that boat!" Erza snapped.

"Aye sir!" Lucy replied before rushing towards the ship with the other women.

The three wizards watched as Lucy walked up the gangway. The blonde looked over at them. She could hardly see them in the shadows, but Lucy knew they were there. She gulped anxiously before making her way on deck.

Meanwhile, back by the warehouse, Erza cracked her knuckles and summoned her magic power.

" **Requip!"** Erza barked.

A bright yellow light engulfed her body. For several seconds, she was hidden behind the light. Then she appeared. Her armor was gone. In its place was a ruby red party dress with high heels and a glittering silver necklace.

"Now, I must join her." Erza said. She looked at Natsu and Joshua, "Once I'm on board, I will apprehend Bora of Prominence as well as deal with any accomplices he may have."

"And what do we do?" Joshua asked, his voice still sounding bored, "Please tell me we get to get in on the action?"

"Hell yeah we do!" Natsu pumped a fist, "I'm gonna roast those dark wizards to cinders!"

Erza shook her head, "No. You will not."

"Eh?" Both Joshua and Natsu replied.

"Joshua, you do not have any magical abilities as far as we know. This would be far too dangerous for you."

"B-but-but-"

"And Natsu, I need someone to keep an eye on him." She nodded at Joshua, "The last thing I need is for him to get hurt while out on a job with me."

Natsu was about to protest when Erza turned her back to him, signaling the end of any chance he had to change her mind.

"Besides, boats aren't exactly your best friend." Erza finished before running towards the yacht.

Natsu's shoulders sagged as he watched his friend race after Lucy. Beside him, Joshua let out a long sigh. His body slid down the wall of the warehouse as he sat down, defeated.

"This sucks." Joshua muttered as he tucked his knees to his chest.

"Tell me about it." Natsu muttered, "I can actually do something in this fight too. And she still won't let me tag along!"

Joshua gave Natsu a peeved look, "Are you all calling me useless?"

"Hm? No I-" Natsu blinked. He smacked a fist into his open hand, "I have an idea."

Joshua raised his head from his knees, "Is it a good idea?"

"Oh absolutely." Natsu grinned.

Joshua could already feel his gut starting to flip. He had not been with Erza very long. In fact, this was technically his second week as a member of the Fairy Tail guild. The first week had been spent recovering from when Erza found him.

He felt himself shudder at the memory. The storm was violent that night. Then there was the lightning, the avalanche, he gulped. He still considered himself lucky to have survived that.

Even after only spending one week with Titania, he had already learned that it was not in one's best interest to cross her. She not only had a quick temper, but was very creative when it came to her punishments. Joshua wondered just where she came up with some of the ideas. One time, a few days ago, she caught Joshua snooping through her clothes closet. Not her armor closet mind you, she wouldn't have cared too much then. Erza did love to show off her armors. But her actual clothes, the stuff she wore beneath the steel suits, were off limits. The ten year old made the mistake of not knowing that particular rule. As punishment, he had to suffer through a shopping spree with the red head. He had never been more bored in his life.

Now, with that in mind, he could only give Natsu a wary look before growing pale as he looked at the yacht slowly drifting away from the dock.

"I've got a very bad feeling about this." Joshua muttered before sighing, "Does it involve you going on the boat and setting it on fire?"

Natsu nodded, "Absolutely."

"But you can't." Joshua reminded, "Erza told you to stay with me. And she told me to stay here. And after being on the receiving end of several punishments in the few weeks I have followed her around, I am going to choose life and stay put."

Natsu frowned. Then he snapped his fingers, "Did Erza ever tell you to specifically stay here?"

Joshua quirked an eyebrow, "What kinda… question… is…" His eyes widened in realization. A mischievous chuckle slowly bubbled up from his chest, "I love loopholes."

"Uhuh!" Natsu nodded, "She said for you to not get involved. But that doesn't mean we can't go on the boat!"

"Riiiight." Joshua nodded, "But, what if we get caught up in the fighting? I don't exactly have any way to fight back against dark wizards."

Natsu punched his shoulder none to lightly, "You'll be fine. Just stick close to me. Any dark wizards will get roasted. Got it?"

"Uh… sure." The boy replied.

"Great! And besides, Erza can't get mad. I'm still keeping an eye on you. And that is exactly what she told me to do." Natsu snapped his fingers, "Happy."

"Aye!" The blue cat saluted.

"How do you feel about carrying two people?"

The cat frowned, "Do I have to?"

Natsu folded his arms over his chest, "You will or there will be no fish tonight."

Tears erupted from the cat's eyes, "You are so cruel!"

"I will get you extra fish if you carry us both out to that boat!" Natsu continued.

Happy stopped sobbing, "R-really?"

Natsu nodded.

In the blink of an eye, Happy sprouted his wings and snagged both Joshua and Natsu by the back of their shirts. Or in Natsu's case, his waistcoat. Joshua yelped out in surprise as he was swiftly lifted off of the ground and into the air. Natsu remained completely calm, though beneath the surface, Joshua could see that the pink haired guy was giddy to join in the fight on the ship.

To be honest, Joshua was excited... no he was thrilled about this. This was the first job he had ever gone on with Erza. So far it had been pretty dull. Nothing but riding trains, gathering information, talking to random people. It was a snooze fest for the ten year old. Natsu's plan though finally allowed him to get some action on this job. He was finally going to be like a real wizard! Battling monsters and dark mages. Saving the day with his great powers alongside his comrades from a guild. He could hardly contain his excitement.

He shot Natsu a wide grin. This was going to be great! First they would land then... then...

His grin quickly evaporated.

"So how are we going about this?" Joshua asked nervously as Happy guided them out over open water.

"Simple. We get on the ship. Then we punch the bad guys."

Joshua gulped, "That sounds like an ill advised plan and I suggest we rethink it."

"Too late now!" Natsu smirked as Happy jetted towards the yacht. Within seconds the pair were just over top of it, "You ready kid?"

Any excitement Joshua had was replaced by overwhelming fear.

"No!" He cried as he waved his hands frantically. Panic was beginning to overtake him. He was nowhere near ready for anything like this. He had no magic. No weapons. Hell, he didn't even know how to fight in a fist fight. What was he supposed to do against Dark Wizards?

 _This was a mistake! A huge mistake!_ Joshua's eyes bugged out of his skull as Happy stopped flying forwards and instead gave his wings a powerful flap, allowing the trio to hover above the yacht. He looked down and his hazel eyes only grew wider. The yacht seemed so far down. He could feel himself growing sick as he looked straight down at the ocean and the yacht's small silhouette drifting on the waves. I _wanna go back to the warehouse!_

"That's the spirit!" Natsu grinned ear to ear before he nodded to Happy.

"NO! NO!" Joshua exclaimed. His hands reached up to grab Happy. There was no way he was about to let this catch drop him from this high up.

Just before he was able to wrap his hands around the flying furball, he felt Happy's paw release its grip on his shirt. For a brief moment, he was in freefall. His stomach shot up to his chest. His heart leapt to his throat. All of the blood rushed to his brain as he plummeted down to the yacht. As the roof grew larger below him, Joshua squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact. Then he screamed.

 **And chapter! So as you many of you may have noticed, we are starting at the very beginning of Fairy Tail! Why you may ask? Well, the beginning has a lot of important details for the story. Details that I now feel like cannot be skipped. Also it presents a new challenge for me. And I enjoy a good challenge. But do not expect this to stick solely to the Fairy Tail anime script. This is merely a jumping off point. Once the story kicks into gear, we will get some big differences in the story. Some of which you may not see coming.**

 **Now, one of the most difficult things I've struggled with when constructing this rewrite is how to handle the Wizards powers in relation to the Star Wars galaxy. Rewatching the Fairy Tail anime made me realize just how much I actually nerfed the Fairy Tail wizards (that was completely unintentional by the way). With that being said, I do feel I need to cut back on their overwhelming strength a little bit. If I didn't, then they would most likely just plow through the Star Wars villains with the exception of Vader and Sidious (Who are not going to be introduced to the story till much later). But i'm not going to simply nerf them. There will be an explanation for it all. I'm not going to give anything away because I hate giving out spoilers. But I'm not just going to make the Fairy Tail characters weaker without explanation like in the original version of this story. Instead, I'm going to try and blend everything better, if that makes any sense?**

 **Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	3. Cruise Gone Overboard

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 3

Cruise Gone Overboard

Erza had to admit, for a criminal, Bora of Prominence had good taste. The yacht was one of the newest ones on the market. If she wasn't standing on the lavish wooden deck then she was inside of the yacht among the rich carpets and fancy furniture. Outside, lamps hung from the many cords and ropes that crisscrossed the yacht, giving the party a festive feeling. Women danced happily beneath their glow as music played loudly from a small lacrima near the yacht's stern.

But Lucy and Erza were not among those dancing. Instead, Lucy was simply looking around with interest. To Erza, she seemed incredibly nervous. And rightfully so. The girl had never been a member of any guild before. And unless she had taken risky solo jobs on her own, then this would be her first ever wizard job. And it was not an easy one at that. Dark wizard hunting was fraught with danger. They were the kind of jobs that Erza was especially cautious on.

For Erza, these were without a doubt the most dangerous job a wizard from a legal guild could conduct. That was because of one major reason. You could never predict what a human being was capable of. Animals and monsters were animals and monster. They lived off instinct. Learn their instincts and habits, and one was able to easily counter even the most savage of beasts with enough training.

In fact, Erza greatly enjoyed jobs that involved taking down dangerous monsters. Those were the jobs she felt like she could cut loose without too much worry.

Jobs involving dark wizards however, made Erza wary. And this one made Erza even more cautious than normal. For one, she had dragged a fledgling wizard in with her on this assignment. Mostly as bait. But, if a fight broke out, Erza had a feeling she would have to step in a protect Lucy. She just was not certain of the blonde's strength yet. And judging by how anxious the girl was, Erza deduced that Lucy was not so sure of her own strength as well. Then there was Joshua and Natsu waiting on the shore.

Erza was fully aware of Natsu's reckless tendencies. Despite her specific orders for him to remain with Joshua, Erza had a gut feeling that the pyro would disobey her… yet again. He just never learned. That or he did learn, but simply forgot over time. And Joshua… Erza shook her head. That kid had a mischievous side to him. Trouble seemed to follow him wherever he went. And he actively looked for it too. Thought she suspected that he had learned easily enough that disobeying her was a bad idea.

 _He will never look my in wardrobe again, that is for sure._ Erza thought to herself as she casually walked up to the punch bowl and poured herself a glass of punch, _But that doesn't mean he will obey me on this one._ She sighed then sipped her drink. _A little sweet._

Finally, there was Bora himself. He acted so confident at this little party. He had every girl he talked to swooning in his arms. Erza suspected that the charm spell had a great deal to do with that. But the fact that he was so brazenly using such magic concerned the red head. The Rune Knights stationed in Hargeon would have certainly noticed such magic being practiced. And the magic council had a zero tolerance policy when it came to abusing forbidden magic. Despite that, Bora still waved his charm spell around without a care in the world. That led Erza to believe one thing. There was more to this little Salamander charade than met the eye.

She sipped her drink again before setting it down and moving back outside of the main cabin. Her brown eyes scanned the horizon. She then looked back to shore. The yacht was already drifting far away from the docks. The city of Hargeon was now just flickering lights above the waves.

Erza furrowed her brow, _Why would a yacht hosting a party want to leave port so quickly?_

Out of the corner of her eye, Erza saw Bora finally approach Lucy. The blonde immediately froze up.

"Hello sweetheart. I remember you." Bora said smoothly. He draped his arm over Lucy's shoulders and grinned at her. On his finger, Erza could see the charm ring he was using glowing ever so slightly.

"Uh… hi!" Lucy gulped, "This is… um… quite the party."

"You got that right!" Bora laughed, "I only throw the best parties. I enjoy having a good time. And I make sure my guests have even better times than me." His grin wavered as he saw the nervous look on Lucy's face, "What's wrong? Not enjoying yourself?"

"N-no. Just-" Lucy stammered, doing her best to maintain her cover.

"How about you and I step inside for a moment? Maybe the sea is making you a little sick? I've got some stuff for that." Bora took Lucy by the hand and guided her towards the main cabin. Erza quietly followed behind them.

Once inside, Lucy pulled her hand away from Bora and took a seat. The purple haired man went over to a cupboard and began rummaging through it.

"I know I have it somewhere in here." He muttered to himself. On his finger, the charm spell was now glowing brightly. The only ones who noticed, or even cared, were Lucy and Erza.

Erza slipped into the cabin. She slid the glass door shut behind her. Careful not to make any noise. It was empty in here now, save for Bora and Lucy. Erza could see Lucy fidgeting in her seat. She was frantically searching for Erza. When Lucy finally spotted the red head, she visibly relaxed.

Then Bora moved up to her again.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, "Guess I don't got anything for sea sickness." The charm spell was glowing brilliantly now.

"I-it's ok." Lucy replied, doing her best to put on a carefree smile, "I'll be fine. I just needed to sit for a moment."

Bora looked puzzled for just the briefest of seconds. His eyes darted to the ring on his finger before he smiled at Lucy again.

"Perhaps, before I go out and entertain my guests again. You and I can get to know each other a little more."

"Uh…"

"I mean," Bora sat down in the chair beside Lucy, "You are just such a wonderful woman. Absolutely gorgeous too."

"Th-thanks?" Lucy stammered as she shrank away from the man. Her eyes darted over to Erza again.

The knight disguised her movements by pretending to be searching for the restroom. Lucy met her gaze and pleaded with the redhead to do something. But Erza held up a reassuring hand.

 _Not yet Lucy._ Erza thought to herself, hoping the blonde got the message. _There is something else going on here._ Erza looked out the window. She could barely make out the coast now. This boat was moving far to fast out into open ocean.

 _I need to see more._

Erza moved up to Lucy and Bora. Lucy let out a small sigh of relief. She thought that Erza was finally about to intervene.

"Excuse me, Mr. Salamander." Erza asked, letting her voice grow high pitched and adorable. A small smile was plastered on her face. Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Yes beautiful?" Bora asked, "How can I help you?"

"Well…" Erza moved to Bora's side. She snaked her arm around his shoulders, "I was hoping you could give me a more thorough tour of your ship."

She felt the man tense.

"Aha." Bora chuckled, "Sorry babe. I can't do that. There are some parts of a man's life that a lady should not see right away."

Erza's smile widened. That was the answer she wanted to hear, "Oh really?" Her face darkened. Her hand gripped Bora's shoulder. The man's face twisted in pain as she squeezed tighter and tighter.

"And why is that?" Erza asked, her voice reverting to normal.

"Agh! Geez beautiful." Bora winced, "If a little like that upsets you so much then-"

"Cut the act, Bora of Prominence." Erza growled. Bora's mouth snapped shut, "What are you hiding on this ship?"

Bora's playful grin fell away. He stared hard at Erza, "The charm spell isn't working on you either. How strange? Either it's defective or you two are wizards." He glanced over at Lucy, who visibly gulped. "And given how successful I have been with this ring, I am going to bet the latter." He chuckled, "So, who put the contract out on me?"

Erza's grip tightened and she forced the rogue mage to his knees.

"The magic council." Bora's eyes widened in surprise, "With that being said, you are under arrest."

A worried look crossed Bora's face. Then he began to chuckle.

"It's going to be difficult to arrest me when you are outnumbered ten to one."

Erza arched an eyebrow.

The doors burst open from the lower deck. Twenty armed men, both burly and thin stormed up into the cabin. They all brandished weapons of some sort. Swords, clubs, Erza even saw one man holding scythe of some sort. Lucy was now visibly panicking. But Erza remained calm. Weapons did not scare her.

"What are you going to do now how, gorgeous?" Bora cackled, "My men here, they're going to tie you up and throw you down below. Then our little journey to Bosco will continue uninterrupted."

 _Bosco?_ Erza thought.

"From there, you will be… mmm… put on the market."

The blood in Erza's veins froze.

"Redheads like you fetch a particularly high price." Bora grinned evilly. Around him, his thugs chuckled.

"You're slavers!" Lucy cried. She attempted to jump out of her seat, but a pair of large hands shoved her back down. Two more of Bora's men stepped in front of her, crowding her into the plush chair.

Erza's heart was pounding in her chest.

"Slaver's is such a harsh word." Bora replied. He felt Erza's hand slip away from his shoulder. As soon as it did, he scrambled away from her. He casually fixed the collar on his shirt and grinned triumphantly at the two wizards, "I prefer the term, obtainer of free labor."

Lucy struggled against the grip of his goons, "You're a monster! How could you call yourself a wizard!? Let alone claim you are the Salamander of Fairy Tail!?"

Erza's mind was in another place. Another time. A time when she was far younger. There was a tower. An kind old man. A cult. The tower was so tall. The work unbearable. The escape… a failure. She could feel her hands beginning to tremble.

"I do what I have to do to keep business booming, dear." Bora replied, "The people I sell to need all of the labor they can get. And they always pay a nice price. How do you think I could afford this wonderful place." He tapped the wall of his yacht.

"You won't get away with this!" Lucy roared.

"I won't will I?" Bora strode past a shaking Erza and stood before Lucy. He glanced down and saw the key ring hanging from her hip, "You're a celestial wizard aren't you?"

Lucy's face paled. Bora's reached down and snatched the key ring from her hip. Now, Lucy was thrashing in the grip of his men.

"GIVE THOSE BACK!" Lucy roared.

"Without these keys, you are powerless." Bora grinned. He looked Lucy right in the eye before he flicked the keys out the window and into the open ocean, "Oops."

Tears burst up from Lucy's eyes, "Y-you are- y-you are-"

"I am your captor and master," Erza's eyes widened and her pupils dilated. Her hands stopped trembling. "Until such a time that my clients purchase you, that is all you will be. Now shut up and relax. Enjoy the party. It's the last one you'll ever attend."

" **REQUIP!"**

Brilliant golden light filled the room. A massive magic circle appeared beneath Erza's figure. The light engulfed her and nearly blinded everyone in the room. Within seconds, the light faded away.

The party dress Erza wore was gone. In its place was a suit of armor constructed of dozens of small plates. Wings made of plated armor adorned her back. A small steel circlet rested on her head. And around Erza, a dozen swords rotated in the air. Two more swords appeared in flashes of gold before coming to a rest in her grip.

" **Heaven's Wheel!"** Erza snarled.

Lucy stared at Erza in awe. Titania was awoken. The raw fury she saw etched on Erza's face would be something that would haunt many a nightmare.

Erza's eyes narrowed on Bora. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her swords so tightly the metal began to groan in her grip.

"Slavers huh?" Erza growled.

Bora took a hesitant step back. Erza took a powerful step forward.

"You are the lowest of the low then." Erza took another step forward. Bora took a half step back before regaining his composure.

Still, this was very unnerving for him. The amount of power this woman was generating was superhuman. He could feel the pressure building around him. Threatening to crush him into a tiny ball if he showed so much as an iota of fear.

 _Who is she!?_ He thought as he readied his own fire magic.

His eyes scanned the woman. Scrutinizing every little detail. The red hair, intimidating aura, powerful magic, the armor, the- Bora felt his heart jump to his throat; the blue stamp on her shoulder. The stamp that was shaped like a fairy with a tail.

"Oh no." Bora breathed. He could not hold back his fear anymore. He knew exactly who stood before him now.

"Hey Bora! What gives man?" One of his goons asked as his boss's confidence diminished.

"It's," Bora gulped loudly. He took a few steps away from the red haired knight. Knight stomped forward, her furious gaze never leaving Bora, "It's Titania!"

Every face in the room turned as white as a sheet.

"Titania!"

"I-it's her!"

"Oh shit!"

The goons began to back up slowly while Erza eyed all of them. Bora could feel sweat building up on his brow. This was not going according to plan at all. If these two chicks were just two normal wizards, then he would have been able to take care of them rather easily. But this was no normal wizard. This was Erza Scarlet. And from the looks of things, he had managed to piss her off.

He swallowed hard. This job was botched now. There was no way he could defeat one of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards. He wasn't fool enough to believe that. He had to get away from here before she got a hold of him and delivered him to the Magic Council. Better to crawl into a hole and hide than for his clients to find out he ratted them out. The Magic Council were very thorough in their interrogations. He knew he'd break. So he preferred not to even test his own willpower.

His eyes darted around the room. He was frantically searching for an exit. Meanwhile, his goons were regaining their own composure. None of them had made the same calculations as Bora had. They still thought they might be able to take the Queen of Fairies.

Oh how wrong they were.

"You know," Erza growled. A growl so low that it made Lucy shiver, "I can actually somewhat tolerate other crimes. Thievery, black magic, even using forbidden spells. But there are two types of criminals I show no mercy to," Her eyes glinted dangerously in the lamp light, "Murderers." She kicked off of the floor, throwing her entire body at Bora, "AND SLAVERS!"

Bora knew it was the end. There was no way he could dodge her. She was so damn fast. It was like a blur was rushing right at him. All he could do was close his eyes a wait.

*CRASH*

Two bodies crashed down through the yacht's ceiling and landed ontop of the charging Titania. One was a pink haired man wearing a black waistcoat, scaly white scarf, and white pants. The other was a young boy wearing a cloak that was far too big from his small frame.

The pink haired man jumped to his feet, not even noticing he was standing on top of Erza Scarlet.

"Alright!" Flames erupted from his fists, "Let's get…" His face went pale, "This… party- ugh." He fell forward, clutching his stomach. His cheeks puffed out and he forced out a small belch, "I'm gonna hurl." He whimpered.

Meanwhile, the boy slowly sat up, "Ugh. My head. What did I just land on?"

"You." The boy froze in place. His teeth began to chatter, "Landed on." His spine started to crawl as he felt the armor covered body shift beneath him. Cold sweat began to bead up all over his body. Then he felt a fist plow into his right cheek, "ME!"

The boy flew across the room and crashed into the wall, leaving a small crater where he impacted.

 _Now's my chance._ Bora thought.

His men could take care of these wizards. Or at least stall them while he got as far away from here as possible. He turned and rushed out of the main cabin door, quickly shutting it and locking it behind him. He then sprinted towards the stern of the ship. His purple cape was cast away. He wouldn't need it as he tried to swim as far away from here as possible.

Just as he was about to dive into the ocean and escape, he felt a metal hand grip the back of his shirt. He was yanked backwards. His shirt dug into his neck as he flew back towards the main cabin.

He hit the cabin with a loud wham. The woman that had previously been enjoying the party were now running amok. Those who didn't have the spell broken from fear were rushing to his defense only to be shoved away by the most terrifying knight Bora had ever laid eyes upon.

Erza Scarlet shoved her way through one last crowd of spell bound women before she finally stood over Bora of Prominence.

"Going somewhere?" she asked menacingly.

Bora gulped, "Apparently not."

Without another word, Erza bashed him a top his head. His eyes fluttered for a moment before he fell to the side unconscious.

Once Bora of Prominence was taken care of, Erza turned around to see his twenty men shaking in their boots behind her. She feinted a lunge and all of them dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.

Erza scowled. Criminals were always acted so powerful until someone far stronger than them came along. Then they acted like victims and begged for mercy that they showed no one else. Especially slavers. God how she despised them. For a moment, it crossed her mind to still bring about swift punishment upon these monsters.

 _But that is not my job._ Erza reminded herself. Her body shimmered for a moment as she requiped out of her Heaven's Wheel armor and back into her normal Heart Kruetz armor. A long sigh escaped her lips as the requip finished.

She was about to address the arrested criminals when a sick sea Natsu stormed through the cabin door.

"I'm gonna… *ulp*... roast all of you!" He sucked in a breath.

Erza's eyes widened, "NATSU DON'T YOU DARE!"

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A massive stream of fire erupted from Natsu's mouth, engulfing the criminals as well as that half of the yacht. When the spell finally ended, the criminals were all unconcious and the entire front end of the ship was nearly reduced to ash.

"Ahhh!" Natsu breathed, "That… *ulp*," He cluthced his stomach, "Should do the trick." He fell to his knees, "So sick." He groaned.

Erza grit her teeth and clenched her fist. That idiot pyro. They had already surrendered. Now, the ship could not sail properly. Not with the entire front end of the ship reduced to kindling. Erza was very tempted to bash him over the head there and then.

 _That would do me no good right now._ Erza thought. She took a deep breath. The air slowly left her lungs and she could feel all of the anger and tension leave with it.

"Um… Erza?" Lucy peeked out of the cabin, eyes wide with fear, "Is everything ok out there?"

"Sort of." Erza replied, "Except the ship may be slowly sinking."

"Sinking!" Lucy yelped, "How are we supposed to get home!?"

"I'm working on it." Erza replied. She glanced over at Lucy, "Do you happen to have any spirits that can help us in this situation."

Lucy's face fell, "Y-yes." She sniffled, "But my keys are gone."

Erza frowned, "Happy!"

She knew the blue cat was around here somewhere. That was the only way both Joshua and Natsu were even able to get all the way out here without a ship. She was impressed that the cat managed to haul both of them this far away from shore.

Sure enough, an exhausted Happy fluttered down to Erza's eye level.

"Aye?"

"I need you to carry Lucy over to where Bora may have thrown her keys. From there she will have to search the waters."

"Do I have to?" Happy whined. He looked over at Lucy, "She looks so heavy."

A tick mark formed on Lucy's head, "What did you say furball!"

"No time for arguments. This ship is sinking and there are innocent people on board." Erza motioned at the slowly recovering party guests. Each women suddenly realizing that they were played for fools by a criminal, "We need Lucy's keys. She has a celestial spirit that can help. Do you understand."

Happy nodded wearily, "Aye sir."

The blue cat floated over to Lucy and grabbed her by her shoulder blades. He flapped his wings hard a couple times, struggling to get the blonde airborne.

"I was right." He complained. He flapped his wings once again, finally yanking Lucy off of the deck, "You are heavy!"

"I am not fat!" Lucy exclaimed, "And stop complaining and fly me over there." She pointed to a spot roughly a few dozen feet from the side of the yacht, "I think he threw them there."

"Aye."

Within a few moments, Happy had Lucy over the ocean waves. Just as they got over the spot Lucy pointed to, Happy gulped.

"Lucy we got a problem."

"What's that?" She asked.

The cat's angelic wings winked out of existence, "I'm out of magic."

Lucy cried out as she plummeted down into the cold water. She somersaulted couple times as she sank down into the ocean's depths. Thankfully, she had enough wits about her during her fall to suck in a quick breath of air before she hit the water. Above her, she noticed Happy breaking the surface for air.

Lucy steadied herself underwater. She got herself upright and scanned the ocean floor below her.

 _They have to be down here somewhere._ She thought to herself.

It was starting to get very hard to hold her breath. That quick breath she took would not last much longer. At this point, any glint of gold or silver would be the most welcome sight she had ever seen.

Her lungs began to burn as she spun around, frantically searching for her keys. Her eyes took a quick glance over at the yacht. It was sinking now. The burned section of the boat was taking on water fast. Lucy grit her teeth and swam down farther. Maybe her keys fell behind a rock?

She ignored her body's cries for air. Air could wait. Those innocent girls on the yacht could not wait.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. A brief glint of gold that made her heart leap in her chest. She swam towards it and grinned. There were her keys.

Lucy snatched them from the soft sand then shot herself upwards. She broke the surface just as her lungs couldn't hold out any longer. Lucy gasped for air. Her hand shot up out of the water, holding her keys high above her head.

"I got em!" She half shouted, half gasped.

"Great Lucy!" Erza shouted from the yacht as she attempted to calm down the party goers, "Now would be a great time to use that spirit you mentioned!"

"Right." Lucy said breathlessly.

She grasped a key that was in the shape of a mermaid. As soon as she had it in her hands, she plunged the tip of the key into the water and twisted.

" **Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"**

A loud doorbell rang. Then a golden magic circle appeared around Lucy. With a bright flash of light, a mermaid with blue hair, a blue tail, and an urn appeared beside Lucy. Lucy smiled triumphantly up at the mermaid.

"Aquarius! Great to see you!" She grinned then pointed at the yacht that was now halfway beneath the waves, "I need you to send that ship back to the shore before it sinks."

The mermaid glanced down at her.

"Tch." The mermaid replied in an irritated tone.

"HEY!" Lucy roared, her hands splashing frantically in the water, "When I call on you, you aren't supposed to give me attitude!"

"Let me make myself more clear." The mermaid snarled. She glared down at Lucy, causing the blonde's face to blanch, "If you ever lose my key again, I will punish you in ways you cannot imagine."

"S-sure." Lucy shuddered, "Would you just please send the boat back to-"

The spirit waved her urn. Suddenly, a massive wave appeared behind the yacht. Lucy screamed as the wave shoved her and the boat at high speeds towards the shore. A few feet away from Hargeon, the wave crested then crashed hard onto the beach. Lucy slid along the wet sand for moment.

"Ouch." She muttered. Sand fell from her shoulders and the top of her head as she got up onto her hands and knees, "I told you to hit the boat not me." Lucy gasped as she looked over at an unharmed Aquarius.

"I hit the boat?" Aquarius replied with a shrug, "Oops. I meant to hit you."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "Why you little-"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get to with _my_ boyfriend tonight. So don't bother calling."

Lucy folded her arms over her chest, "You don't have to rub that in too."

"And he's hot."

"I don't care!" Lucy roared as Aquarius shimmered out of existence, "Stupid, insubordinate fish." She grumbled to herself.

Another body sloshed up onto the beach. Lucy glanced to her right and saw Natsu slowly crawling up the beach.

"No more boats." Natsu moaned as he shook his head, "No more water. No more moving stuff." He flopped onto the sand, "Just solid, motionless ground for me please."

Another wave crashed and Joshua floated over on his back. He had a blank expression on his face as he slid up beside Lucy. Lucy looked over at the boy with a worried expression. Was he sick like Natsu? Was he afraid? Is that why he looked so emotionless?

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" He roared. A massive grin was plastered over his face. He shot up to his feet and pumped his fists in the air, "Let's do that again!"

"You and I will be having a long discussion before you do anything like _that_ again." A menacing voice scolded.

Joshua's grin ran away from his face. Behind Joshua, Erza stood. Her face shadowed out by her anger and frustration.

"What did I tell you, Joshua?"

Joshua gulped, "You um… you told me that this would be too dangerous for me."

"And to not get involved." Erza continued lowly.

Joshua raised a hand, "You didn't specifically say that."

A metal hand smacked Joshua upside the head, knocking him out.

"I don't have the patience right now." Erza muttered before stomping towards Bora of Prominence and his waterlogged, unconscious band of criminals.

She bent down and grabbed Bora by the neck of his shirt.

"Time to apprehend you."

Before she could move up the beach, she could hear the sound of armored feet rushing towards her. Erza arched an eyebrow. She glanced over at Hargeon and saw a battalion of Rune Knights rushing towards her, Lucy, Natsu, and Joshua. But why would they be charging at her?

Erza then saw the city of Hargeon itself. The yacht was buried in the roof of an inn near the docks. The docks were upturned and spread out over the streets thanks to the sheer power of Aquarius's wave. Debris littered the rooftops and streets. And was it just her, or were some of the warehouses scorched?

"Oh?" Erza gulped.

"Did we over do it again?" Natsu asked.

Erza nodded solemnly, "We did." She dropped Bora unceremoniously into the sand, "I think we should let the professionals take custody of the criminals."

"But aren't you the professionals?" Lucy asked.

"We." Natsu corrected with a grin. He gingerly took Lucy's hand, "We are the professionals."

Lucy's eyes widened and she could feel a small blush forming on her cheeks. This was really happeing. She was becoming a guild wizard.

She flew up through the air as Natsu yanked her upright. She was expecting something romantic perhaps? That's what always happened in the novels she liked to read. It was almost like the boy was sweeping her off her feet after a long battle. Her blush grew darker at the thought.

That however, was not the case at all. Natsu gripped Lucy's wrist, turned on his heel and took off down the road, dragging Lucy behind him.

"WAIT! YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST!" Lucy screamed as she struggled to keep up with his rapid pace.

Lucy suddenly saw a flash of armor. Erza sprinted past both her and Natsu. Joshua was draped over her shoulder, still unconscious.

 _How is she so fast!?_ Lucy thought to herself, "Natsu! Slow down!"

"No can do, Luce." He shot her a toothy grin, "We gotta get you to the guild hall! We need to make you an official member after all."

Lucy blinked, "R-really? You guys were serious about that?"

Natsu nodded, "Of course." Lucy and Natsu heard the Rune Knights utter a furious cry as they charged after them, "And we also need to get away from them as fast as we can. So… no slowing down now!"

Natsu sprinted faster. Lucy lost her footing. All she could do for the rest of the chase was yell, scream, and curse as she flew behind the pink haired pyromaniac.

 **And chapter! So ends the first arc of Fairy Tail. A whopping 3 chapters, and almost 18,000 words. For doing the first arc, I hope I did a good job. I've treated this arc as more of an introduction to some of our main characters rather than a massive extravaganza. So for you all who haven't seen Fairy Tail but are reading this story, there are some of our main characters and all of their quirky glory!**

 **Now, I do have something that's been bugging my brain and I do want your opinion on it. Should I have the Star Wars stuff be Galactic Empire era like the original story, or should I shake things up and have this story kick off during the Galactic Republic era? I've got plans for both. But I'm not sure which to go with. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that one.**

 **Anyways, this story sure is off to quick start and I'm loving it! It's been a while since I've cranked out this many words so quickly. I hope you guys are having just as much fun as I am!**

 **Anyways, let me know what you all think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a nice day!**


	4. Welcome to the Guild

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 4

Welcome to the Guild

 **100 BBY**

 **Republic Cruiser Valkyrie**

 **Cargo: Luxury goods; one Jedi Master**

 **Destination…. Serenno**

The Valkyrie's captain took a deep, calming breath as he guided the small transport cruiser out of hyperspace. The streaks of light that had dominated the cockpit for the past few hours faded away, becoming pinpoints far in the distance. Most of those pinpoints of light were familiar to the captain. He had been to many of them. Each one of those points of light was a star, each star held its own life bearing planets. Thousands of them. He did not delude himself into thinking he had seen all of them. That was impossible. But he liked to think he had seen many, or at least, the ones that needed to be seen.

Still, compared to the small figure wearing dark brown robes beside him, the grizzled old captain had barely even caught a glimpse of the galaxy in his fifty years of life.

Slowly, the planet of Serenno lumbered into view. It was a pretty planet to look at. It's surface was covered in forests and mountain ranges. There were a couple oceans here and there, but most of the planet was very temperate.

Despite being located in the outer rim of the galaxy, an area known for its lawlessness and disregard for basic human empathy, Serenno was a shockingly stable world. Crime was incredibly low on the planet. The people lived happily. Most did not suffer in poverty. The planet's natural resources allowed its people to prosper much like the planets of the mid-rim and core worlds did. If there as an example of what an outer rim planet could become if it rid itself of the crime lords that dominated this portion of the galaxy, then Serenno was it.

 _Maybe I'll end up retiring here._ The Valkyrie's captain thought.

"On your mind, retirement is?" The small figure in robes asked him. His unique speech pattern still making the human captain hesitate despite having transported the little green man before.

"I've been flying the cosmos for almost thirty five years now, Master Jedi." The captain replied as he leaned back in his chair, "I don't know. The more jobs I take, the more I think about finally settling down somewhere." He glanced down at the little figure, "I've got a few places in mind."

He was tempted to ask the Jedi Master if he knew of any other lovely planets for retirement. After all, this wasn't just a Jedi Master. This little green man was _The_ Jedi Master. Any master of the enigmatic Jedi order was renowned for their knowledge of the galaxy at large. But this one in particular knew far more than any of the others the Captain had interacted with in his lifetime. He seemed so much wiser, so intelligent, and so peaceful at the same time. If all Jedi were like this, then the Captain felt that the galaxy was in very good hands.

"Naboo and Alderaan, lovely places too, they are." The small Jedi Master suggested, practically reading the Captain's mind, "Not as far away, they are."

The Captain chuckled, "That'd be a small plus."

The ship's radio crackled and a voice came over the speakers.

" _Cruiser, this is Carannia Spaceport Tower. Identify and state business."_

The captain pressed a small button then replied, "This is Captain Cander of the Republic Cruiser Valkyrie. I'm transporting a Jedi Master onto the planet as well as cargo for trade."

The radio was silent for a moment.

" _What Jedi Master?"_

Cander glanced at the small Jedi. The figure nodded gently.

"Jedi Master Yoda." He replied.

He could hear some people scrambling on the other side of the comm. Then it crackled to life again.

" _You are being given priority clearance. Please dock into bay 20. The Count's family will be waiting."_

 _Count's family?_ Cander gave Yoda a surprised look.

The Valkyrie entered Serenno's atmosphere. For moment, she was veiled in puffs of white clouds. Then she burst through them. Serenno's surface stretched out before Cander.

There were forest's as far as the eye could see. Not just any forests either. They were rain forests. Gargantuan trees jutted high into the air. Mountains covered in layers of green tore into the air like teeth. It appears Cander got it wrong. Serenno was not a temperate world like some of the core worlds. This place was one massive jungle. Not as massive as Kashyyyk but still… it was something else.

Eventually, Cander saw a small city begin to take shape in a clearing. Straddling the city's southern edge, was a small spaceport. Big enough to accommodate both the city's residents as well as small cruisers. Small enough that any cruiser bigger than Cander's Valkyrie would not be able to dock.

He easily guided the cruiser into bay twenty. As the ship came to gentle stop, he noticed a group of humans wearing rich clothing come walking out of the main terminal towards his ship. Puzzled, he glanced over at the Jedi Master.

The little guy was already beginning to move. His three finger hand gripped a small, gnarled wooden cane just before he hopped down from his seat. The cane tapped along the durasteel floor as the Jedi Master shuffled along.

"Master Jedi?" Cander asked as he stayed at the controls. He did have to wait for merchants now. There were goods to be sold.

"Hm? Yes, Captain?" The diminutive Jedi glanced back.

"You do realize that is Serenno's ruling family waiting for you?"

The Jedi Master nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, why would they want to meet you?"

Yoda gave Cander a gentle smile, "New child, the family has. Strong in the force, he is. Decided to see for myself, I have." Without another word he hobbled over to the cruiser's exit.

* * *

 **Present Day**

 **Earthland**

Lucy was starry eyed. There it was, right in front of her. The guild she had always dreamed of joining.

Fairy Tail.

The guildhall was older, but still stunning to look at. It was a massive, two story pagoda. The guild's emblem was placed proudly on a bright orange flag draped just over the main entrance. Just beneath that flag, the guild's name was carved beautifully into the framework of the building.

It was everything she had imagined and more! It looked so cozy and inviting! Lucy's smile only widened. She could only imagine what her new guild mates were like.

"Home sweet home!" Lucy jumped as Natsu raced past her towards the guild's front doors. Happy flew just behind him. Neither cared that they nearly knocked the blonde over.

"Would you two watch where you are going!" She shouted as she shook a fist at them. Though they didn't hear her.

A loud yawn drew her attention. Joshua was standing beside her, rubbing his eye as he smacked his lips together.

"It's too early for this." He grumbled.

"It's only eight in the morning." Erza replied as she strode past Lucy and Joshua. She marched towards the guildhall.

"Is the guild hall even open right now?" Joshua asked.

"For us, yes." Erza said back, "Now come on already. Master will want to know how we did." She paused, "Oh… and he will want to personally meet Lucy."

Lucy blinked. The guild's master wanted to personally meet her? But how did he even know she was joining? Did Erza contact him through a lacrima? Her heart started to pound in her chest. What if this was part of joining the guild? Did the master of Fairy Tail have to personally evaluate her before she could be allowed to join?

Nervous sweat beaded down her face. What if he didn't think she was a strong enough mage? What if he didn't like her? What would happen then?

"Um… why does he want to meet me?" Lucy hesitantly asked.

Erza didn't hear her. The red head was already opening the guild doors. Joshua was the only one walking at Lucy's hesitant pace towards the door. That was mostly due to his short stature though.

"Dunno." Joshua shrugged, "But from what Cana has told me, he likes to meet every girl that joins the guild."

Lucy arched an eyebrow as they approached the doors, "He does?"

Joshua nodded, "Yeah. He doesn't meet the guys right away though. Normally, they have to go up to him." He shrugged, "Don't ask me why he does that. I got no clue. Maybe I'll ask Cana about that." He muttered to himself as he opened the door.

"You talk a lot about this Cana person." Lucy smirked at Joshua as he held the door open for her, "Who is she? A girlfriend?" She teased.

Joshua frowned. He quickly shook his head. With his free hand he pointed inside of the guildhall.

Lucy was instantly enamored with the place. The first level was a massive gathering area. A small stage was set before dozens of picnic tables. Several booths lined the wooden walls. Against one wall was a large cork board with dozens of papers pinned to it. And at the very end of the main hall, there was a small bar. At the bar, stood a white haired woman in a maroon dress. She was drying a large beer mug. Sitting at the bar was-

Lucy's eyes bugged from her skull. There was a brunette woman wearing long brown pants and a blue bikini top sitting at the bar. Well, more like passed out at the bar. Her head was resting on the bar counter top in a pool of liquor and drool.

"That's Cana." Joshua nodded.

"O-oh." Lucy muttered.

"And she went overboard last night." He looked at Lucy as he shut the door behind them. The pair now stood in the mostly empty guild hall, "You'll find that a lot of people tend to go overboard here."

Lucy laughed a little, "Yeah. I noticed that back at Hargeon."

"HEY LUCE!"

Lucy looked towards the request board. Natsu was waving at her. Erza stood next to him. Her armored fingers were rubbing her chin as she studied the various papers on the board. Lucy and Joshua strode over there.

The blonde took a close look at the papers. Each one had a large number written on it. Below those numbers were descriptions of some sort. Some even had pictures of a monster or an object.

"This is the job request board." Joshua tapped the corkboard, "You come here to find jobs."

"Don't act like you know everything, Joshua." Erza said as she plucked a piece of paper from the board, "You are just as new as Lucy is."

"But I've been here a week longer!" Joshua stomped his foot.

"Aaaaw." The white haired woman Lucy noticed earlier had stepped away from the bar and was walking towards them. A small smile was on her face as she approached, "Is someone throwing a temper tantrum?"

Joshua grit his teeth, "I'm not throwing a temper tantrum!"

A stern glare from Erza quickly silenced the boy.

The white haired woman whistled, "Wow! One week and you've already trained him."

A tick mark formed on Joshua's head. But he bit back a scathing response. He knew that if he decided to snap back at the woman, either her or Erza would come down on him hard.

A long sigh escaped Erza's lips, "What do you want Mira?"

Lucy's jaw dropped. This white haired woman was THE Mirajane Strauss. How did she not see it before?

 _Probably because whenever she's in Sorcerer's Weekly she's only wearing a bikini and not a dress._ Lucy thought to herself, _I'm definitely going to get an autograph though!_

The woman smiled, "Nothing. Just wanted to inform you that Master wanted to talk to you this morning."

Erza plucked a paper from the board. She stared at it for a moment, studying the job description. She then quickly pocketed it.

"What does Master want to talk to me about?"

"The job you just took for one." Erza sighed as Mira spoke, "He just finished talking with a cheerful magic council member."

"Cheerful is hardly the word I would use." Erza remarked, "That job was a fiasco because two boys…" She glared at Natsu and Joshua. The fire mage's face paled considerably. Joshua averted his eyes from Erza's, doing his best to hide from her gaze, "Decided to not follow my direct orders."

Mirajane giggled, "You can't blame them. Their boys. They want in on the action." Mira started to walk back to the bar. Cana was beginning to stir. The white haired woman had no doubt that she would want alcohol right away. Halfway to the bar, Mirajane twirled around to face Erza again, "Oh! Master has other things he wants to talk to you about too. But he didn't really say what about."

Erza nodded, "Very well. Is he here yet?"

Mira nodded, "He's upstairs waiting." She moved to her spot behind the bar.

Erza immediately went to the stairs to go see the Fairy Tail guild master. Lucy noticed Joshua try to follow her but she pushed him back. Something about S-class wizards are the only ones allowed on the second level.

The boy huffed and stomped over to the bar. He hopped up onto one of the stools and spun around in it. Natsu and Lucy followed him. Both of them casually sitting down on the other side of a still unconscious Cana.

"How much did she have this time?" Natsu asked, gesturing to Cana.

Mira shook her head, "Two barrels." Lucy's eyes bulged from her skull, "I told her that was too much even for her, but you know Cana. She's so stubborn."

Natsu laughed, "You got that right." He folded his hands on the bar counter top and waited a moment.

Mira smiled gently, "You want a fire shot huh?"

"Yup!" He grinned.

"Give me a second." Mira turned around. She reached for a shot glass on a shelf above her then reached into a drawer, pulling out a small book of matches, "So, Natsu, who's your new friend?" She finally asked.

"Oh! Right, I totally forgot about her." He scratched the back of his head.

 _How do you forget about me when I've literally been standing next to you this entire time!?_ Lucy thought to herself.

"This is-"

"Lucy." The blonde finished for the pink haired boy, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mirajane."

Mira sparked a match and lit the inside of the shot glass on fire. She set the glass down in front of Natsu and smiled at Lucy.

"It's nice to meet you too. I assume you are here to join the guild."

Lucy nodded, "You got that right! I helped out Natsu and Erza on their last job. Now they want me in Fairy Tail."

"Oh really!?" Mira replied, "Natsu's easy to impress." She noted as the boy, much to Lucy's shock and surprise, greedily devoured the flames from the shot glass, "But Erza, not so much. You must have really done well in order to get her approval." She started drying some more beer mugs. As she did, she caught Lucy giving Natsu a stunned look at the pink haired boy finished the fire shot.

"That's part of Natsu's magic." Mira explained to Lucy.

"R-really?" Lucy stammered, "You mean not only can he use fire, he can eat it too?" She was in disbelief, "I've never heard of any magic that can do that."

"That's because Natsu's magic is a lost magic." Mira set down one mug and started working on another, "You see, Natsu is a Fire Dragon Slayer. His magic is specifically meant to be able to defeat dragons."

Lucy's jaw dropped, "No way!" Beside her, Natsu slammed the shot glass down then belched loudly. Joshua snickered while Natsu chuckled to himself.

"Just think of it as super powerful fire magic. It also allows him to be able to eat fire."

"Yup!" Natsu exhaled, completely satisfied, "But not my own fire." He rubbed his stomach, "That doesn't end well."

Lucy wanted to ask why but before she could, Mira continued speaking.

"What kind of magic do you use, Lucy?" She asked before turning around to start putting away the dry mugs.

"Oh! I use Celestial Spirit Magic."

Mira's eyes widened, "Really!? That's neat! And that's a rare one to have."

Lucy waved her hand, "Oh it's not that impressive. Er- Well, I'm not that impressive with it."

"Nonsense!" Natsu exclaimed, "Your um… fish lady spirit-"

"Aquarius." Lucy deadpanned.

"Yup! That one! She was super powerful. The wave she made was huge!"

Mira giggled, "Is this the same wave that destroyed Hargeon's harbor?"

Lucy's face turned blue, "Unfortunately yes."

Mira giggled some more, "Oh yes. I can see why Natsu and Erza want you as a member of Fairy Tail. You will fit right in."

A long groan came from the brunette that was passed out between Joshua and Natsu. Both boys gave the woman a concerned look. Cana was finally waking up. The guild's resident alcoholic slowly raised her head, uttered a long yawn, then raised a finger.

"Mira…." She said sleepily. The girl winced and hissed. She was obviously suffering from a severe hangover, "One-"

"One recovery drink coming right up." Mira finished for her. She dashed over to the liquor cabinet and withdrew a bottle of whiskey.

"Thanks." Cana groaned before letting her head hit the counter top once again.

"So when is everyone else showing up?" Natsu asked Mira.

Mira shrugged as she poured a shot of whiskey, "Probably their usual times. Macao will probably get here first. He does have to drop Romeo off at school. Then Wakaba and the others will slowly trickle in." She grabbed a bottle of hot sauce and added a dash of it into the shot of whiskey.

"And the Ice Princess?" Natsu asked.

Mira shook her head, "I wouldn't go picking fights with Erza here. You know how that goes."

Natsu tilted his head to the side, "How does that go?"

"You get your ass handed to you." Joshua reminded him.

"Language Joshua!" Mira snapped. The boy rolled his eyes. "But he's right, Natsu." Mira shook the shot of whiskey, dash of tabasco, and some cola together then poured it into a glass of ice, "Erza does not tolerate fighting in the guild hall. So, if you want to pick a fight with Gray, I suggest waiting until Erza leaves for whatever job she picked out."

She set the glass in front of a barely conscious Cana. Without even looking, the woman snatched the cup and downed it in one gulp.

"Now, my turn for questions." Mira stated. She leaned against the countertop, "What exactly happened on that job in Hargeon, Joshua?"

Joshua cringed, "Well… you see, we kinda went overboard."

"We? Or you and Natsu?"

"I can't really go overboard." Joshua pointed out, "I don't have any magic. All I did was fall through a roof and land on top of Erza. Flame brain and Miss Fish Spirit did all the damage."

"Hey!" Both Natsu and Lucy exclaimed.

Mira chuckled, "So it was an eventful job then. Did you and Erza at least catch the guy?"

Joshua nodded, "Yup. Well, actually, the rune knights got him. But we did our part. So… I guess you could say mission accomplished." He rubbed his hands together, "I can't wait for that reward money!"

"That reward money is going to Hargeon for repairs most likely." Mira replied, "Erza's very good about that sort of thing."

"B-but it was… it was a lot of jewel." Joshua stammered.

"And there was a lot of damage. Master would not have gotten a call from the Magic Council if it wasn't serious." Mira stated, "Speaking of master." Her eyes drifted up to the door that led to his office. It was still closed and no one had come out yet. "Whatever Erza and him are talking about must be serious."

"Pfft." Natsu waved a hand and leaned back in his stool, "There isn't anything to worry about. The Magic Council can't do anything, even if they wanted to. I mean, that's the case right?"

Lucy looked at Natsu dumbfounded, "There are laws you know."

"What are those?" Natsu asked. It was a genuine question, but Lucy thought he was joking around with her.

"Oh you know. Those things you are supposed to follow that keep society as we know it functioning." Lucy replied sarcastically.

Mira laughed out loud, "Yes. You will definitely get along just fine here, Lucy. As soon as Master is done talking to Erza, I'll send you up to him." She put a finger to her chin, "Actually, he'll most likely come down here to meet you. So, just stay put I guess."

Lucy nodded.

"So what is the guild master like?" She asked Mira.

The white haired woman smiled, "He's a great man. Very kind, generous, even tempered, wise-"

* * *

"GOD DAMMIT!" Makarov Dreyer, Guild Master of Fairy Tail, bellowed as he hurled a communications lacrima at the wall. Somehow, the glass orb didn't shatter. Instead, it hit the wall with a small thunk before landing on the floor and rolling towards the door.

Just as he did this, the door to his office opened.

"Master, you wanted to speak with me?" Erza asked as she stepped into the office. She shut the door behind her once she was inside.

Makarov let out a long groan and buried his balding head in his heads.

"Does this have anything to do with my last job?" Erza asked bluntly.

The old man sighed, "Yes it does." He ran a hand over his bald scalp before huffing, "Those damn magic council members are really on my case for this one, Erza."

Erza stiffened, "I… I apologize for what happened Master. I won't allow such damage to occur again."

Makarov waved a hand, "No. No. I'm not mad at you. In my opinion, the magic council can take their stupid rules and shove them up their asses. Magic is a tool after all. If used for the right purposes, it is an unstoppable tool for good. The important thing is to do whatever you feel is right Erza. That is the Fairy Tail way. Never forget that!"

Erza nodded.

"And if the magic council has a problem with it… well… I'll…" His bushy mustache twitched furiously, "I'll think of something!"

That elicited a small laugh from Erza, "I swear, you are your own worst enemy sometimes. Especially when it comes to the Magic Council." She took a seat across from Master Makarov's desk, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Other than that, well.." He tapped his finger against the desk, "Oh! Yes! I remember now." He leaned towards Erza, "How is our new member doing?"

Erza arched an eyebrow, "I don't recall Joshua ever officially being made a member of the guild. He's far too young to be an official member. And with his lack of magic, I doubt he could be one."

Makarov shrugged, "You, Mira, hell, even Cana were all younger than he was when you became members of Fairy Tail." He reminded Erza, much to her chagrin, "And magic has nothing to do with a guild. A guild is family, not magic."

Erza nodded, "Right. I apologize, I'm just…" She trailed off.

Makarov arched an eyebrow. Something was off about Erza today. She seemed, distracted. A description that hardly suited the usually laser focused wizard. There was clearly something bothering her. Her mind was not on the present conversation, that much Makarov could tell without even asking her. Still, her surprising hesitance concerned him. She was normally very open when it came to discussing issues with him.

"What's wrong?"

"That last job, Master," She took a deep breath, "Bora of Prominence was a slaver."

Makarov's face darkened. No wonder Erza seemed out of sorts. Slavery was a very sensitive topic for her. One that brought up painful feelings and dark memories that he never wanted her to relive again. He quietly hopped down from his seat and strode over to Erza. He gently placed a hand on her armored shoulder.

"And you stopped him." He reassured her, "He won't be doing that anymore."

"How could there still be people like him out there?" Erza asked. She thought she asked her question quietly. She had no idea she was nearly shouting it, "I thought that Fiore had finally gotten rid of slavers like him."

Makarov sighed, "No matter what we do Erza, there will always be those wanting to do evil. Especially when it makes them money. All we can do is discover it and put a stop to it. And you did just that." He patted her shoulder, "You did very well."

Erza sniffed for a moment then nodded, "Thanks." She took a deep breath, "You… um… you wanted to know more about Joshua."

Makarov nodded, "Yes. How is the brat doing?"

Erza snorted, "Brat is the best description for him."

"How so?"

"He has a knack for getting into trouble." Erza started.

"Oh, all of you brats do." Makarov dismissed, "If you all were goody two shoes then I would never have to worry about the Magic Council calling me."

"He's openly insubordinate to my commands."

"HA!" Makarov guffawed, "Now you know how it feels."

"He eats everything in sight."

"Expensive isn't it?" He chuckled back.

"And… and…" Erza balled up her fist for a moment before sighing and relaxing, "And for some odd reason, I just want to make sure he's ok."

Makarov nodded, "You have a good heart. That's why. The boy may be a bit of trouble maker. But I'm sure with proper guidance, he will grow into a responsible young man."

"I'm guessing that means you want me to continue keeping an eye on him?"

Makarov shook his head, "I'm not forcing you to." He moved back towards his desk, "But if you want to, you are more than welcome to. If not, well… I'll probably ask one of the older wizards to watch out for him. Or perhaps Mira can look out for him. She could always use help around the guild hall."

Erza frowned, "Perhaps." She muttered.

"That will be all for now, Erza." Makarov said as he got behind his desk and jumped up into his chair, "If there is anything else, let me know."

"Actually there is."

"Hm?" Makarov glanced up from a stack of paperwork on his desk.

"Me and Natsu brought another wizard back with us. We think she would be a great addition to our guild."

Makarov froze, "She?" He asked.

Erza raised an eyebrow, "Yes… she. Her name is Lucy and-"

In the blink of an eye, Master Makarov rushed past Erza. He burst out of his office door and hopped up onto the railing that lined the second floor. When he looked down, his eyes bulged from his skull. His face turned red and a wide, perverted grin spread over his face.

"OHOHOHOHO! SHE'S A HOT BLONDE!"

Erza grit her teeth, clenched her fists, and rose from her seat.

 _Here we go again._

 **And chapter! This one was more of a filler chapter. Not really any action. But still an important one. It introduces Lucy to the guild, as well as several of her new guild mates. It also helps broaden Erza's opinion of Joshua and gives us what I hope was a fun introduction to Master Makarov. I'm trying to include the Fairy Tail characters into the story a bit more than the original.**

 **Now, as for the that first part of the chapter. I figured that's how I'm going to fit some Star Wars stuff in here at the beginning of the story. It'll help give the story some background. Don't worry, we will be getting much more as the story progresses. But as of right now, we are going to start of slow. Ease into it. I don't want to rush arcs like I did in the original story (That was one of the biggest flaws that I found when I was both critiqued and when I reread the story). And no, Yoda was not going to Serenno to pick up Joshua. The boy is ten not over one hundred. He was going to pick someone else up. I'll let you all figure that one out.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you all think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	5. The Knight's Squire

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 5

The Knight's Squire

 **86 BBY**

 **Jedi Temple; Coruscant**

"Master?" A young boy with jet black hair and a gaunt face said. His rich, aristocratic voice hanging thick in the air as he spoke.

He sat in the center of a dark room. The shades were drawn, allowing none of Coruscant's sunlight to penetrate the circular space. Sitting across from the young boy was a much shorter, wizened looking creature.

"Yes, my padawan?" Master Yoda croaked out. His bulbous eyes were closed. The little green man was completely calm. Occasionally one of his long ears would twitch as he detected some restlessness coming from his young pupil.

"I have a question." The boy's eyes opened, revealing dark brown eyes that held a certain wisdom in them. A wisdom well beyond the boy's years.

Yoda's eyes cracked open as well. The boy was indeed a restless one. Always asking questions. Always desiring answers. Then questioning those very same answers and how others came about them. He was a curious little human. For someone so young, his desire for knowledge was immense. It caused a small swell of pride in the old Master Yoda. He had trained many padawans in his centuries at the Jedi Temple. Very few had ever shown the voracious appetite for knowledge as Dooku.

Yoda gently nodded to the young boy.

"The Jedi are sworn to the will of the force, right?" The boy shifted in his seat, clearly growing uncomfortable with his seating position.

"Yes." Yoda nodded.

"But the Jedi are also sworn to the Republic. And to the Jedi code." Dooku's young eyes narrowed in thought, "I have been thinking." He stared hard at Yoda, "What if all of those oaths do not align?"

Yoda felt a small smile cross his wrinkled lips. He gently rose from his seat position and willed the force to bring his gnarled old cane to his weathered hands. Once he was able to lean his little weight onto the cane, he tapped it on the ground, signaling for his Padawan to stand up.

"Walk, we shall."

Dooku hesitantly nodded then followed his Master out of the small meditation room and into the corridors of the Jedi Temple. As they walked through the warmly lit halls of the Jedi Temple, Yoda glanced up at his Padawan.

Sixteen years old and already the boy was growing tall and strong. He was very strong with the force. Physically, he was marvelous. He dedicated himself to his training. Dutifully listening to Master Yoda's instruction and applying the great Jedi Master's wisdom to his own training. The boy was also becoming the talk of the lightsaber classes. Already, he was driving the Jedi Battle Masters crazy with his talk on the need to focus on saber to saber combat. This was despite their rebuttals that there was no longer a need for a focus on individual saber combat.

Nevertheless, when Dooku had finished his… debate… with those battlemasters, he had gone directly to his Master and asked to be trained in the art of Makashi. Yoda, both amused and perplexed by the boy's insistence, agreed. If, for nothing else, than to satisfy the young Jedi's curiosity on the form.

Since that day, he had not suffered a single defeat when training with the other Padawans. Yoda could not help but think that his Padawan would certainly become a great Jedi Master one day.

"Your question." Yoda began, his voice soft like the yellow lights above them, "Speak again, please?"

Dooku nodded, "If the Jedi are sworn to the Will of the Force, the Jedi Code, and the Republic, what happens if those oaths do not align?"

Yoda perked ears, "Ask you do, about what a Jedi should do, should they be confronted with a difficult choice?"

Dooku seemed almost flustered. Master Yoda was the only one who seemed to be able to do that to him. The wizened old Jedi could see the boy's cheeks flush a little bit. That had been happening more and more often since the pair had taken a diplomatic mission back to his home world of Serenno. While there, he had made friends with many of the royal family and nobles that he would have been raised by had he not taken the path of the Jedi. One such friend, was a young woman with striking gold hair and dark brown eyes, much like his own. It didn't take much for Yoda to see that his young Padawan was enamored by the girl.

"I suppose you could say that, Master." Dooku replied.

"Thinking of Zoehea Nalju, you are?"

Dooku's cheeks turned as red as a Coruscant sunset, "I… I-"

Yoda hummed to himself, "Careful you must be, my young Padawan. Attachment, to many things it can lead. Both good, and evil. How you handle such things, determine the path of your life, it will."

Dooku arched an eyebrow, "How does that pertain to my original question, Master?"

Yoda paused and looked out of a window out at Coruscant's sunset. In the glow of the red light, he could make out the silhouettes of hundreds of skyscrapers that covered the planet's surface. Lines of speeders dotted the air lanes around those massive constructs. Each speeder racing to one destination or another. The ones going the fastest almost always had a human pilot.

Humans, always in a hurry. Then again, Yoda did attribute that to their naturally shorter lifespans. They were quick in everything. Quick to learn, quick to grow strong, quick to love, but also quick to hate, quick to neglect what they felt unnecessary. Quick to fall. It was in their very nature.

His padawan, despite his meteoric rise among the Jedi, was no different.

"Rushing you are, to understand emotions that you have yet to fully learn." Yoda shook his head and harrumphed. His cane clicked on the ground as he drew closer to the window. "Patience you still lack, my young padawan."

Dooku drew up beside his master.

"Well, I don't exactly have seven hundred years to learn patience." Dooku replied, revealing a rare bit of sarcasm that he had learned to suppress long ago. Occasionally, it still decided to make an appearance.

Yoda's cane jabbed him in the stomach, "Matters not, the amount of time you have. Only willingness to learn, to understand." Yoda sighed, "The Jedi code, what is it?"

Dooku suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. This again? How many times must he repeat the same mantra to his master?

"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

To Dooku's great shock, Yoda's cane jabbed him again.

"What about that was wrong!?" Dooku cried, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Temper, my padawan, temper." Yoda admonished. Dooku closed his eyes and took a soothing breath, "Recited you did, a code you do not know."

"But _that_ is the Jedi Code." Dooku replied back, perplexed, "I have been a Jedi since I was two years old. How could I not know that code? It's the one I have learned."

"Learned that code you have. Know it, you do not." Yoda sighed, "The code you know, tell me."

Dooku furrowed his brow, "I don't think I understand, Master. I just told you the Jedi code."

"One code, you told me. The one you do not know. The one, understand you do not." Yoda looked up at his student, "The one you know, understand, tell me."

Dooku frowned. He reached deep into his mind, gleaning through all of the knowledge he had absorbed from his Master. Ever lesson, every lecture, every mistake, and every mission, he searched for what he remembered. Yet he could recall nothing on what Master Yoda was speaking of.

 _Perhaps another Master has told me something?_

Then he remembered. It had been ages ago. Ages for him at least. Ten years was a long time for a human being, but not long for someone such as Master Yoda. He was a youngling then. He was just starting to train for the initiate trials. He was the youngest child there. Most were eight or nine, even ten before they went through the first trials. He was only seven when he finally passed them.

He recalled one of the Master's teaching him a code.

"Emotion, yet peace." Dooku recited from memory. Yoda's ears perked up, "Ignorance, yet Knowledge. Passion, yet Serenity. Chaos, yet Harmony. Death, yet the Force." He furrowed his brow, "But… that is just a simplification of the Jedi code. A way to easily teach Younglings the concept."

Yoda smirked and began to chuckle to himself. He tapped his cane along as he began to shuffle away from the window.

"Still young, _you_ are." Yoda chuckled.

Dooku's jaw dropped for a split second. He then shook his head and strode to catch up to his Master, "I still don't understand. If I am confronted with a choice between those three oaths, which do I uphold?"

Yoda paused, "Is right, the one you feel." He instructed, "A way for Jedi to find peace, the code is. The Force and be balanced in it, to find." He hummed to himself, "For nine hundred years, guided the Jedi, the code has. Been a time of peace and prosperity, it has."

Dooku nodded, "So you are saying that the code is right?"

Yoda let out a long sigh and shook his head, "No more for now, Dooku." He smiled and rubbed his small stomach, "Hungry, I am. Made my favorite tonight, the kitchen has."

"But-but-" Dooku was at a loss for words as he followed his Master, "I still do not feel like I got an answer."

"An answer, you received." Yoda chided, "Meditate on this, you should. Execute patience, I suggest."

Dooku rolled his eyes, "You just love to give me riddles."

Yoda chuckled loudly, "Understand the pleasure of it, you will, when own stubborn padawan," He jabbed Dooku playfully in the hip. The boy yelped and hopped away from the little green man before he gave Yoda a playful shove on the shoulder, "You have." Yoda finished.

Dooku snorted as they walked to the dining facilities, "I don't plan on choosing a padawan as _stubborn,_ " He put air quotes around his head, "As I am."

Yoda let out one last laugh, "A lie, I sense."

Dooku laughed with him, "Shut up, Master."

* * *

 **Present Day**

 **Earthland**

"Excuse me miss, but may I borrow your pants?"

Lucy blushed for a half second as she stared at the nude man with raven colored hair. She then reared back with her fist and planted a punch into his right cheek.

"NO!" She roared before quickly ducking away towards the bar counter where Mirajane happily washed some dishes.

She did not understand what was wrong with the men in this guild. They were either complete blockheads like Natsu, or pervs like the naked boy. Then there was the guild master, the old man named Makarov. The geezer had the audacity to approach her, shake her hand respectfully, name her a member of the guild, then smack her ass. He must have deemed it a great victory despite Lucy's near immediate vengeance. She was pretty sure the old guy was still passed out upstairs from the kick she delivered to his jaw.

Lucy took a deep breath and sat down at the bar. Behind her, a mass brawl had ensued. She wasn't sure how it started. But she had a gut feeling that Natsu may have been behind it. I mean, he was the one at the very center of the guild wide melee. His fists and feet were flying in all directions as he bashed and punched his fellow guild mates. A wide grin was plastered on his face as he did so.

Lucy's eyes widened and she dodged a chair flying towards the bar.

"Geez!" Lucy gulped, "Do they always act like this?"

Mira smiled sweetly behind the bar, "All the time."

"MANLY THROW!" A behemoth of a man with spiky white hair declared as he grabbed a dancing guild member and chucked him into the rafters. Right as he pumped his fist to declare victory, that same raven haired boy that asked Lucy for her pants planted an elbow into the guy's jaw.

Mira winced, "Ooh, Elfman's going to complain about that one."

"It seems to be only getting more violent." Lucy tentatively observed as she dodged piece of shattered wood from one of the broken tables.

"It will." A small voice said from behind the bar.

Both Mira and Lucy blinked in surprise as Joshua's head popped up above the counter for a brief moment. His eyes were wide with fear as he looked out at the massive brawl.

"I suggest taking cover."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Mira sucked in a breath, "Uh oh."

Lucy felt panic building up in her. Behind her, the brawl was starting to turn magical. Mages were charging their strongest spells. Natsu was laughing loudly as his fists burst into flames. Across from him, the naked, raven haired boy smacked his fist into his hands. Frost formed around his hands and wrists.

"This isn't good." Mira muttered.

"I'll be under here where it's safe." Joshua gulped before disappearing beneath the bar counter.

"Shouldn't someone stop them!?" Lucy cried, "I mean, this is about to get really dangerous."

Mira gulped, "It's not the magic part I'm worried about."

"Then what-"

The door to the guildhall burst open. At that moment, everyone froze. All heads shakily turned to the red haired knight standing in the doorway.

Joshua's head popped up once more, "It's about to get very ugly." He was shaking uncontrollably now. His eyes were so wide that they were nearly popping from his skull.

Lucy couldn't help but tremble. The look on Erza's face made fear crawl up her spine. And she wasn't even involved in this madness.

The red haired mage took on menacing step forward.

"I leave to go home and take a nap for _one_ hour." She growled. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the scene in front of her.

Natsu had a fist mere inches away from the naked boy. And the naked boy had a fist a few inches away from Natsu's gut. Both were petrified as they stared at Erza. The rest of the mages in the building were dead silent. They could not make a sound. The only thing Lucy could hear was the sound of Erza's breath rushing in and out of her lungs.

"AND I COME BACK TO THIS!" She surged forward and planted her fists into Natsu and the naked boy's cheeks.

"HOW MANY TIMES MUST I SAY IT NATSU!? GRAY!?"

"We're sorry Erza!" Both Natsu, and the raven haired boy named Gray moaned as they flew through the air before colliding with the far wall. They both fell in a heap on top of each other.

"Elfman!" Erza directed her fury at the large, muscled man with white hair, "Clean up the broken tables!"

"Ay-aye!" The big man trembled.

"Vejeeter!" Erza snapped her head upwards at the poor wizard hanging precariously from the ceiling, "Get down from the ceiling!"

"How!?" The dancing mage wearing a large purple turban cried.

"Figure it out!" Erza snapped back.

Lucy shook in her boots as Erza stormed towards the bar. The brawl was over. Everyone was now either frantically cleaning up the guild hall or moving out of Erza's way. Lucy gulped as the furious knight stopped in front of her, her foot tapping loudly against the wooden floor.

"Lucy…"

"Y-yeah?" She stammered.

"Did you contribute to this brawl in any way?"

Lucy shook her head, "No."

"She avoided the fighting." Mira smiled.

Erza glared at the white haired woman before sighing.

"Good." Erza nodded, "Someone who understands the rules of the guildhall."

"Oh come on, Erza." Mira replied, "They all just had to blow off a little steam."

"That was a lot steam." Joshua muttered as he poked his head out from behind the bar, "Is it safe now?"

Mira chuckled, "Yes it is."

"Oh thank god!" Joshua zipped around the bar and jumped up into a seat beside Erza. His short legs swung from the bar stool. His feet still couldn't reach the footrests on the stool. So he had to balance himself on the rickety old thing.

Erza glanced over at the boy. He was quietly sitting at the bar, a small box of apple juice in his hands. Occasionally, between sips, he would cast a quick glance at Erza before sucking on his straw once again.

Eventually, Erza sighed and turned to face him.

"Alright, what's up?"

"What did you and the old geezer talk about?" Joshua asked.

A tick mark formed on Erza's head, "What did you call Master?"

Joshua gulped, "Er- uh- I- um-referred to him respectfully as the great and powerful Master Makarov. As he should be called." His hands tightened around the juice box, nearly crushing it.

Erza narrowed her eyes. Both Lucy and Joshua held their breath. The red head then nodded.

"That's what I thought."

Joshua let out a long sigh of relief. He waited patiently for all of two seconds as Erza asked Mirajane for a slice of strawberry cake.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

Erza let out a long sigh, "Just give me a second kid." She rubbed her forehead as her arm rested on the countertop, "I've got a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"None of your business." Erza replied.

"Why?"

"Because." Erza replied.

"Because why?"

Erza frowned. She was not about to start this with the kid. She swiveld in her chair and seemingly towered over him.

"We discussed matters that do not concern you." She growled back.

"Oh fufu." Mira set a plate with a slice of cake down on the counter in front of Erza, "Stop being so intimidating with him, Erza. He's only ten."

"It's best that he learns now rather than later." Erza stabbed at her cake and was about to take a bite when Joshua pulled on her sleeve.

"Learn about what?"

Erza let her head fall back. Her fork fell back onto her plate, "You just don't know when to be quiet do you?" She groaned.

"Erza, just eat your cake." Mira instructed. Her voice taking on a firm edge that surprised both Lucy and Joshua.

Erza's eyes snapped forward. As if she was daring the white haired beauty to speak to her that way again. To both Lucy and Joshua's immense surprise, Mira was not fazed by Erza's glare.

"You get really cranky when you're hungry."

"I do not get-" Erza shoveled a piece of strawberry cake into her mouth, "Cranky." She continued with her mouth full. Erza quickly paused, chewed quickly, then swallowed. Instantly, her entire demeanor seemed to change. She appeared less angry. A small smile on was on her lips, "Oh Strawberry cake, you work wonders."

"I told you." Mira chuckled.

Joshua now deemed this a good time to try and ask Erza his question again.

"So what did you and Master talk about?" he asked.

Lucy leaned over, "Actually, I'm kind of curious about that too."

Erza took another large bite of cake. With each bite, her mood seemed to improve.

"Well…" She started, "We discussed the job in Hargeon. Apparently the Magic Council is already on the Master's case regarding the damages." Both Lucy and Joshua felt a bead of sweat go down the sides of their head, "But you know Master," Erza glanced at Mira, "He likes dealing with the magic council in his own special way."

"Does it involve slapping the asses of the women there?" Lucy muttered grumpily. Her arms folded over her large chest. Joshua looked at her utterly confused.

"Lots of cursing and blustering." Mira chuckled to herself, "I think master doesn't realize that those actions sometimes dig him into a bigger hole than the one he started off in."

"But it somehow works." Erza replied, "Other than that we actually talked about you, kid."

Joshua blinked, "Me?"

Erza nodded, "Master was concerned about how you were acclimating to the guild."

"Oh!" Joshua was surprised. He didn't think someone as powerful as Master Makarov would be concerned about him, "Well, I'm doing fine I suppose. It's weird being part of wizard guild even though I don't have any magic. But I like it here." He rubbed his back, "Although, if I did have one complaint, the cots in the infirmary could use some updating. My back aches every morning."

"You're probably just sleeping funny." Mira waved him off.

Joshua put a finger to his chin, "Um.. what else did you and Master talk about?"

"In regards to you?" Erza asked. The boy nodded, "Well, we were actually talking about who would look out for you."

Joshua arched an eyebrow, "Look out for me?"

Erza nodded, "You're still a child. You need someone to teach you, to be you guardian until you are old enough to be on your own. You may not have magic, but you are a part of this guild. And we look out for our own."

Joshua beamed, "Really!? I'm actually a member?"

"We will see." Erza replied, tempering his excitement, "Now I want to ask you a question. Who do you want looking out for you?"

"Erm, Erza." Lucy questioned, "Are you sure it's a good idea to let a ten year old decide who should be his guardian?"

"NATSU!" Joshua declared immediately.

Erza grit her teeth and closed her eyes, "It appears you may be right, Lucy."

Joshua gave the pair a confused look, "What's wrong with Natsu?"

Both Erza and Lucy looked at each. Then the pair looked over to see Natsu dragging himself over to a booth, flopping down into the wooden chair, then passing out without another sound.

"He… needs to work on being responsible." Erza put it lightly.

"But he's fun!" Joshua argued back, "And he's cool! I mean, he shoots fire. Like, pew, pew! And rooooaaar!" Joshua opened his mouth doing his best to mimic Natsu's fire dragon roar.

Mira giggled behind the counter.

"You do not need fun, or cool." Erza replied, "You need responsible, caring, someone who can show you how to survive in life." She rubbed her chin. While she thought, Joshua did the same. He mimicked her pose. Right down to crossing his right leg over his left.

Joshua snapped his fingers, "You could be my guardian!"

Erza blinked, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah Erza." Mira smirked, "Why not?"

Erza frowned at the bar maid before continuing to talk to Joshua, "Because I am constantly going out on dangerous missions. Missions that a kid like you should be nowhere near."

"Well… it's not like I have to go on those missions with you." Joshua replied, "Not until you think I'm ready of course."

Erza eyed the boy carefully. Where was he going with this?

"I mean, you're supposed to be a knight right?" Joshua jabbed his thumb against his chest, "And a knight needs a squire!" Erza's eyes widened, "Otherwise, they are not a proper knight. All the stories say so."

Lucy gaped at Joshua, "You can't be falling for that?" She asked Erza.

Erza bobbed her head back and forth, "He's not wrong."

"Are you serious!?" Lucy cried, "So you are willing to take him on your crazy dangerous missions then!?"

"Absolutely not!" Erza replied. Joshua's face fell, "But… perhaps if he learned how to take care of himself, he may be able to tag along someday." The boy's face lit up.

Mira chuckled as she swept up splinters from shattered chairs and tables, "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into, Erza."

Erza scowled at Mira, "Are you saying I'm not capable of raising a kid, Mira?"

"No. What I'm saying is that you don't exactly have… the temperment to raise a kid." Mira leaned against her broom, "It takes a special kind of person to do what you're thinking about doing. And it's not easy. Trust me, Elfman and…" Mira's voice trailed off for a moment. Both Joshua and Lucy noticed flicker of sadness pass through her normally cheerful face, "You can't just be super stern all the time, Erza. That's what I'm saying."

Erza finished the last of her cake, "I appreciate your advice. But I'm more than capable of doing this."

Mira shrugged, "If you insist. I'll let Master know."

"Would you? Thanks." Erza replied.

"Not a problem."

Erza rose from her seat, "Alright, Joshua!"

Joshua jumped from his stool and stood at attention in front of Erza, "Aye!" He saluted.

"I hereby name you my squire!" Erza folded her hands behind her back, "You will follow all of my instructions. You will listen to any advise or commands that I give you. And you will obey the rules that I set. Especially since you will be living with me now. Understood?"

Joshua nodded, "Yup!"

Mira shook her head, "Oh boy. I don't whether to warn Master about this, or get popcorn and watch the show."

"Now then!" Erza gripped Joshua's wrist and dragged him across the guildhall, "You are my squire. So you need to begin training!"

Most boys would have been struggling against Erza's grip like animals caught in a trap. She had a reputation of being overly harsh with her training. Mira could recall Natsu going pale at the memory of Erza teaching him how to read and write properly.

But Joshua just raced after Erza, his short legs struggling to keep pace as she pulled him through the crowd of wizards in the guildhall. A wide smile was on his face. Just as he reached the guildhall doors, he waved back at Lucy and Mira.

"Wish me luck!" He called before being yanked outside by the red haired knight.

"Good luck." Mira waved back with a smile.

Lucy stared on completely dumbfounded. How in the world did Joshua weasel his way into this? How did he manage to convince Erza to be his guardian? Only moments ago she was vehemently against it. Then with one, precisely aimed sentence, he had convinced her. She didn't know whether feel shock or admiration. Clearly the boy had a mischievous streak that could not be contained. And from what Lucy had seen of Erza so far, that was going to lead to some loud fireworks between the two.

"He's going to need all the luck he can get, huh?" Lucy asked Mira.

"Oh absolutely." Mira bent down into a cupboard, "Wanna drink?"

"Eh, why not."

* * *

Joshua sat in the dirt field just outside of the guildhall. This little field was the Fairy Tail training grounds. Across the field, he could see multiple straw dummies and targets standing. They were changed out regularly. After all, Magic could really mangle targets like that. Sometimes, one of the guild members, a rather round artist by the name of Reedus, would paint colorful expressions on the heads of the dummies. You know, to give practice a little bit of realism.

Joshua excitedly bounced in his seat. He couldn't wait to learn from Erza. She was going to teach him how to be a Knight. To fight with a sword. To ride a horse. The grin on his face widened as Erza withdrew two swords from her requip.

"Yes!" Joshua pumped a fist, "Right to the fun stuff."

He let out a loud yelp and jumped back as Erza planted one of her swords into earth. Mere inches from his feet.

"Joshua," She began. Her voice was much softer than it was in the guildhall, "A sword is not a toy. It is a tool. It is never something you should enjoy drawing. It should always be a last resort." She yanked the sword from the earth and held it out in front of her. The tip of the blade shimmered in the sunlight as it sat inches away from Joshua's nose, "This tool can do both great and terrible things. What it does depends on the person who wields it. Someone unworthy of a blade, will wield it to do unworthy actions. However, someone who is worthy of wielding a blade, will do great deeds for those in need. And they will only draw it when there is no other option available to them." She stared hard at Joshua. Her gaze seemed to go into his very soul. He couldn't help but stare back her. He was no longer mesmerized by the sword, but rather the person behind it. "Do you understand this first lesson?"

Joshua gulped. His eyes darted down at the tip of the blade. He then nodded slowly.

"Very good." She lowered her sword. Just as she lowered, she saw the boy reach for the sword in her other hand. She smacked the the flat of that blade against his hand, causing Joshua to cry out in pain, "Uh uh." She waved the blade in front of her, "You…" Her hands shimmered with light and the blades disappeared, "Are not worthy… yet."

"Aw c'mon!" Joshua sucked on the knuckles of his hand before jumping to his feet, "I'm more than capable of using that! It can't be that hard!"

Erza raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Is that what you think?" Her right hand shimmered. Joshua was expecting a sword to appear in her hand. Instead, a small red ball with a blue cat printed on it appeared in her grip, "If you think using a sword is so easy, then you should be able to get this ball from me."

Joshua arched an eyebrow, "How does this have anything to do with using a sword?"

A tick mark formed on Erza's brow, "Do not question me!"

"Aye sir!" Joshua gulped.

Erza took a breath, "You seem to be treating this with a rather relaxed attitude. You really think that using a sword is easy? Almost as easy as say… taking this ball from my hand."

Joshua blinked then grinned, "Easier."

Erza smirked at him. This boy was confident wasn't he? She couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Oh he was in for a very rude awakening.

"If you can get this ball away from me. I'll let you hold a sword."

Joshua's eyes widened. That was all he had to do? Get the ball away from Erza. This would be a piece of cake!

He lunged at Erza. The red head spun around him. Pain lanced through the back of his head as her elbow slammed into him.

"OWWW!" Joshua howled as he was sent sprawling into the dirt, "What was that for!?"

"Lesson number two of being a knight." Erza narrowed her eyes at him, "You're opponent will never fight fair."

Joshua grit his teeth and rubbed the back of his head. He charged at Erza. The red head simply sidestepped him before bringing a knee into his gut.

The wind rushed out of his lungs. Joshua found himself flat on his stomach, gasping for air. With each gasp, he could feel some dirt flying into his lungs. Coughs suddenly wracked his body. He rolled over and groaned.

"Done already?" Erza taunted, "Wasn't this supposed to be easy for you?"

Joshua glared at her angrily. He scrambled back up to his feet and charged again. This time, Erza didn't move. Instead, she held the ball out in front of her.

Joshua's eyes widened. It was his for the taking! He jumped forward, ready to snatch it from her grip.

The ball flew upwards. His brown eyes followed it. Then he felt a fist hit him in the stomach. He doubled over then felt a strong arm wrap him into a headlock.

"Lesson number three." Erza continued, "Keep your eyes on your opponent."

Joshua struggled against her grip.

"How am I supposed to get the ball if I have to keep my eye on you!?"

"If you are focused on the ball and not me, then you are an idiot." Erza released him.

He stumbled backwards before falling back on his behind. He could already feel bruises forming from where he had been hit and where he had landed hard on the ground. Joshua wiped some sweat that had started to form on his brow. He got up once again and watched as Erza caught the ball once it descended from the air. She smirked and folded her hands behind her back. The ball cupped gently in her armored grip.

"Tell you what," She said, "I'll use no hands."

Joshua grit his teeth. His fists tightened at his sides.

"Should be easier right?"

He cried out and charged once again.

 **And chapter! That was a fun one! A great way to build on the relationship between Joshua and Erza. Less jarring than the original, but that's just my opinion. Some of these beginning chapters are going to be more of filler just to get characters established before getting into the meat of the story. But I promise, I'll get this thing going much quicker than my GOTx Fairy Tail crossover (That one is proving to be an absolute beast to put together...).**

 **And how about that little beginning snippet for ya? A little interaction between Yoda and his Padawan, Dooku. I noticed something a while back. There are so many stories about Yoda and other Jedi. There are stories about Qui Gon and Obi Wan when they were master and apprentice. Anakin and Obi Wan, Ahsoka and Anakin, etc. But there is none about Yoda and Dooku. And I consider Dooku to be the beginning of a Master/Padawan lineage in the Jedi order. After all, all the Jedi in his line of teaching (Qui Gon, Obi Wan, even Anakin and Ahsoka) tend to be very headstrong and require a steep learning curve. And since Dooku is playing a major part in this story, I want to explore his character a little bit. Develop a small arc for him, you know.**

 **Anyways, as for the time period this story is set in, I have decided to shake things up. We are going Clone Wars folks! I do have the story planned for after the Clone Wars and into the Galactic Empire era though. I'm excited! This is going to be a challenge!  
Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	6. It's Technically Not a Guild Job

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 6

It's Technically Not a Guild Job

Dooku burst into the meditation room. As always, the room was dark, despite the cloudless day outside. The shades were drawn. But Dooku still knew exactly who was in here. Inside sat Master Yoda. The little green Jedi's eyes were closed. He was a picture of perfect serenity. Though, when Dooku burst through the door, his long ears did twitch ever so slightly.

Dooku ran a hand over his dark beard before falling back onto one of the cushions that was across from Yoda.

Yoda cracked an eye open as Dooku let out a long sigh before rubbing his forehead.

"Being dramatic, you are." Yoda scolded as he closed his eyes again and took a calm breath.

Dooku glared at the Grand Master, "I have a splitting headache. Forgive me if I feel entitled to be a touch dramatic." He then closed his eyes, folded his legs and began meditating across from Master Yoda.

Yoda immediately sensed it. A slight tremble in the force. Like a ripple flowing through a calm pond. Dooku was distressed. Angry even? Yoda shook his head and opened his eyes.

"Troubled you are." Yoda said calmly.

Dooku took a deep breath, "I am trying not to be." He replied before taking another calming breath.

Yoda folded his hands, "Then in here, why, are you?"

Dooku opened his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He bowed then shook his head,"That padawan of mine…"

Yoda inclined his head then chuckled, "Proving for you, a bit much, he is?"

Dooku rolled his eyes, "Hardly. He's just…" Dooku pinched the bridge of his nose, "Do you know where I caught him today? I found him in the female dormitory. More specifically, in the bed of a human female's room." Yoda closed his eyes, "And to be even more specific, it involved intercourse."

To Dooku's immense surprise, Yoda laughed and pointed a green finger at him.

"Hard it is, being a Master to a reckless student, hmm?"

"I-I was nowhere near as reckless, insubordinate, stubborn, lewd-"

"On lewd, Zoehea Nalju, beg to differ, she may."

Dooku froze mid sentence. He carefully studied his old Master's face. But as always, Master Yoda was nearly impossible to read. The green Jedi was in such total control of his emotions that none seemed to show unless he wanted to show them. Dooku could feel his heart skipping several beats. Just from that one sentence alone, he knew that Yoda was aware of his... previous relationships as a young man. And yet, Yoda had never mentioned his knowledge of such things. Dooku was genuinely puzzled. His Master was very stringent when it came to the Jedi Code. The code forbade attachments, especially romantic ones. So why was Yoda quiet on this matter until now?

His mind drifted to his old love. It had been decades since he had last seen her. His normally composed face went flush before growing sad. He took a calming breath.

"Unlike Qui Gon, I at least had some proprietary about the matter." Dooku admitted. He then shook his head, "I did not just decide to sleep with her. We were merely friends in the end." Dooku folded his arms, "Besides, that relationship was a… was a lifetime ago at this point."

Yoda nodded, "The right thing, you did. Committed to the Jedi, you were and still are. End such attachments, wise it was. That same wisdom, pass on to Qui Gon, you must."

"Oh believe me Master Yoda, I have tried. Many times." Dooku shook his head, "That boy pays no attention to me." He huffed, "Looking back on it, I should have been smart and chosen that child from Haruun Kal. That Mace Windu. I hear he is growing into quite the prodigy. A model Jedi even as a Padawan."

Yoda clicked his tongue, "But his master, not a model Jedi Master, she is." Yoda stood from his cushion. His small, gnarled cane floated from the where it was leaning over to his head. He waddled on up to Dooku, "A good Master, from their apprentice, learns just as much. Not just about the force. But about themselves too." He placed a small hand on Dooku's shoulder, "Model student, you were. Strong with the force. Powerful with a lightsaber. Wise and intelligent, you were. But prideful, then and still, you are. Temper that, Qui Gon will. Just as, temper his wild tendencies, you will."

Dooku snorted, "I find it wholly irritating and ironic that the Force decided to pair me with Qui Gon Jinn. The master of lasciviousness and debauchery among the padawans of the order."

"But the will of the force, it was. Chose Qui Gon, you did." Yoda smirked, "Like to think I do, that perhaps, a bit of yourself, you saw in him."

Dooku's mouth fell open, "I-I- hardly. I chose him for his potential. The boy was stunningly strong in the force."

Yoda closed his eyes and shook his head, "Much to learn, you still have, my old Padawan." His cane tapped loudly in the room as Yoda waddled towards the door. His old hand reached up for the button that would allow the door to slide open. When it did, a tall young human boy with long brown hair and a mischievous gleam in his eyes jumped.

"Oh! Master Yoda!" The boy exclaimed. His eyes darted behind Yoda to Dooku, then back down to Yoda. The boy gave the old Master a quick, sloppy bow, "I-I apologize, I didn't know you were here."

Yoda smiled kindly, "Apology not needed, young one." He glanced back at Dooku, "Your Master, speak with him, you should."

The boy nodded, "I planned to."

Yoda nodded. Without another word he shuffled past Qui Gon Jinn. Just as he was about to reach the turbolift, he turned back to look at the young Padawan and his Master.

"Dooku. Discuss more, if you wish, later we can."

Dooku bowed as Yoda left, but he did not reply.

Once Yoda entered the lift, Qui Gon exhaled loudly.

"Whew." Qui Gon breathed, "Now that he's gone, I can relax a little."

Dooku rolled his eyes and gave Qui Gon's padawan braid a sharp tug. The teen gave a shout of pain before giving his Master an angry look.

Dooku frowned, "A rather nasty expression considering what I caught you doing." He folded his arms into his robes, "Are you certain it is wise to show such an attitude to me."

"When it comes to physical abuse, yes!" Qui Gon snapped back.

Dooku grit his teeth. This boy… this boy just loved to test his patience. Dooku took a quick, calming breath.

 _Calm yourself._ He thought, _As Master Yoda said. Be a mentor._

He waved a hand to the cushions in the meditation room. Qui Gon arched an eyebrow.

"Really?"

Dooku gave the boy a swift kick in the ass. Qui Gon stumbled into the meditation chamber. He winced as his backside throbbed.

"Did you really have to-"

"Sit down, Qui Gon." Dooku sighed as he feel back into on of the cushions. He calmly crossed his legs, took and deep breath, closed his eyes, and attempted to enter the realm of the living force.

He could sense his padawan taking a seat across from him. Unlike his master, the boy was not calm. He simply could not stop fidgeting. He would closed his eyes, squirm a little, crack his eyes open to look at his master, then quickly close them again when Dooku opened his own eyes to look at him. There seemed to be nothing that could keep Qui Gon Jinn still.

Dooku frowned as he drifted in the force. His student's signature in the force had always been impressive. Qui Gon had a deep connection to the force. It allowed him to excel at the physical aspects of being a Jedi. In a way, Dooku did agree with Yoda in that the boy mirrored his younger self. Strong in the material, but weak in the spiritual. It took Dooku years before he finally started to understand the mystical properties of the Force.

 _Perhaps I have been too hard on the boy._ Dooku thought.

His frown deepened as he sensed his padawan. Qui Gon was agitated about something. The force trembled around him as the boy attempted to meditate. His student's breaths were shallow, impatient, nervous even? Dooku cracked open an eye. To his shock, Qui Gon had stopped squirming. He was completely still now. Eyes closed, legs crossed, posture relaxed. But his breathing was labored. His shoulders were tense. Lips pressed tightly together and his brow furrowed. He could see beads of sweat beginning to form on his apprentice's brow.

"Qui Gon?" Dooku waved a hand out in front of his student's face.

The boy gulped. He had not noticed. He was so transfixed on whatever he was meditating on that there seemed to be no way to reach him.

Dooku snapped his finger, "Boy!?" He barked.

Qui Gon twitched then sighed. He remained lost in the force.

Dooku rose to his feet. Concern now filled him. This was not like his young Padawan. Qui Gon despised meditations. He hated sitting still. It was usually an incredible chore for Dooku to convince his young student to sit down and meditate on the Force. For the boy to delve so deep on his own was astonishing to the Jedi Master.

 _What is he seeing in the Force?_ Dooku thought as he placed a hand on Qui Gon's shoulder.

He gently shook his student. This time, it was enough to rouse Qui Gon Jinn. The boy's eyes flew open and he gasped for breath. He nearly pitched forward, but Dooku's strong hand kept the boy from falling to the floor.

"Qui Gon?" Dooku knelt down beside his student, "Look at me." He jerked Qui Gon's shoulders to face him, "Look at me." His student's eyes slowing focused in on his master, "Are you alright?"

Qui Gon sucked in more air then nodded, "Yes." He gasped.

Dooku let out a sigh of relief. The boy may drive him insane, but he did want the best for him. He was responsible for him after all. It was his duty to mold Qui Gon Jinn into the best Jedi possible. And Dooku would be damned if he failed in that duty.

Dooku nodded. He gave Qui Gon a soft pat on the shoulder. An action that caught the teenager off guard. Dooku returned to his seat across from Qui Gon. Only this time, he did not meditate. Instead he stared at his student. For a few moments, neither spoke. Dooku simply rubbed his chin while staring intently at Qui Gon. The teenager clearly seemed a tad uncomfortable. He shifted nervously in his seat before leaning forward.

"Um, Master?"

"Hm?" Dooku replied.

"What are you doing?"

"Hm?"

"You've got your… well… your deep thinking face on."

Dooku managed a wry smirk, "Deep thinking face?"

"Yeah." Qui Gon imitated his master. He pretended to stroke a beard on his currently clean shaven face, "You look like this. Although to be fair, the beard makes this look way less weird."

Qui Gon jumped as Dooku chuckled a little. This was not like his Master. Master Dooku was always so rigid. People called him a model Jedi. The best Knight the order had. He adhered to the code almost perfectly. It frustrated Qui Gon to be apprenticed to a Master like Dooku. Someone who clearly did not understand him. Did not wish to understand. And only wished to force him to conform to the code. A Jedi like Dooku did not laugh at a bad joke like the one Qui Gon just made.

His Master clearly sensed Qui Gon's confusion.

"Do not worry, my young padawan. You just…" Dooku's thoughts trailed off mid sentence, "I have been too hard on you, Qui Gon."

Now Qui Gon was convinced something was wrong with his Master, "Um… what?"

Dooku leaned back in his cushion, "I have been far too hard on you. I… I expected you to be like me. I should have realized that is not something I should have done. You are you. And I have been trying to force you to become like me. Such a thing is against your very nature. And instead of adjusting and teaching to your strengths I only grew frustrated and tried to force you into my way of thinking." Dooku took a breath, "I suppose that makes me a rather poor master."

Qui Gon arched an eyebrow, "I don't understand where this is going."

Dooku nodded, "What I caught you doing today-"

Qui Gon hung his head, "Here we go again."

"Was irresponsible, disrespectful-"

"I was a complete gentleman to her." Qui Gon quickly defended.

"Lewd," Dooku continued, ignoring his padawan's comments, "And reckless." The Jedi Master cracked a small smirk, "It is so strange to see it from the other side."

Qui Gon gave his Master a confused look. Then it clicked. The teen's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"You mean to tell me-"

Dooku nodded, "I was very much like you when I was younger. Although, I didn't have as carefree of an attitude as you possess." Dooku took a breath, "Her name was Zoehea Nalju. She lives on my home world of Serenno."

Qui Gon scooted his cushion closer to Dooku. He could not believe what he was hearing. His Master had a romantic fling with a girl? Impossible! Despite his disbelief, he wanted to hear more.

It was as if Dooku read his very thoughts (Which he very likely did), "I'm not giving you the details."

"Kriff!"

"Language." Dooku quietly scolded before taking a breath, "She and I… we had something special." He laced his fingers together in front of his face, "For a time, I even considered leaving the order for her."

Qui Gon's eyes widened, "Why didn't you?"

Dooku did not reply. He was lost in the memories of his younger years. Memories of the jungles of Serenno. Begging his Master to take him on diplomatic missions to his homeworld. Dinners with Zoehea. Walks through the streets of the capital city. The sweltering heat of Serenno's jungle like world making her almost shimmer in the sunlight.

Qui Gon leaned forward, "Was the sex bad or something?"

Dooku tugged on Qui Gon's braid.

"OW OW OW!" Qui Gon howled, "Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did."

"Maybe a little." Qui Gon admitted.

Dooku let his hands fall to his lap, "Those stories are for another time."

"Oh come on." Qui Gon whined, "I want to know more."

And he genuinely did want to know more. His master hardly opened up personally like this. He had been raised by Master Dooku since he passed his first set of trials nearly six years ago. And he hardly knew anything about his Master's personal life. Everything up until this point was strictly training.

"Follow the code Qui Gon Jinn!" "You make me wonder if I can keep my sanity, boy!" "Do not ask idiotic questions, Jinn!"

To hear his Master open up like this, it made Qui Gon see him as more of a human. Not a great Jedi that many revered as the best of the order. But a normal man. Filled with the same things as any other human being. Regrets, lost loves, dreams, and goals. Qui Gon cracked a smile.

"Alright, you better tell me another time."

Dooku let out a sharp chuckled, "Perhaps. But only if you actually listen to me for a change."

"On this subject, I most certainly will." Qui Gon smiled.

Dooku smiled, "Very well then. But I hope for more attentiveness on your studies as a Jedi. And a little less energy being put towards fulfilling your lustful desires. Clear?"

Qui Gon smile wavered ever so slightly before he nodded, "Yes, Master."

"Very good. Now then." Dooku shifted in his seat, "You seemed to have gone rather deep into your meditations today."

Qui Gon's smile evaporated. His face seemed to pale a little bit.

"What is wrong?" Dooku asked.

"I um…" Qui Gon's mouth twitched, "I think I had a premonition of some sort."

Dooku inclined his head, "I see. Well, do share."

Qui Gon hesitated, "The thing is Master, I can't really make much sense of it."

"Do you believe it to be something that is happening presently?"

Qui Gon shook his head, "No."

"Then in the past?"

Again, Qui Gon shook his head, "No Master. I am certain the force showed me a glimpse of the future. But it was so… vague, foggy. Everything flew by so rapidly that I barely had time to comprehend what I was seeing."

Dooku folded his hands, "And what did you see?"

Qui Gon furrowed his brow, "I… I saw a sea of lightsabers. Jedi Lightsabers. Among them though were four red blades. Blood red. Unlike any I had ever seen before. Surrounding those blades were sheets of lightning. They crackled and behaved like lighting from a thunderstorm. But it was cold. Like ice. The red blades weaved between the blue and green ones. As they passed by them, the Jedi Lightsabers would be extinguished. Eventually, there was only three Jedi blades left. And there was only three red blades left. And the lightning only grew colder." Qui Gon took a shaky breath, "That is what I saw first. Then I saw a planet. It was unlike any other planet I had ever seen before. It had multiple climates. There were parts that were as frozen as an ice moon. Then there were parts as dry as the sands of Tatooine. There were jungles, and forests. Flat plains and rolling hills. And mountains that towered into the atmosphere. As I looked at that planet, one of the red blades I saw previously ignited. Then behind it, I saw fire, ice, metal swords, wind, and golden keys. I saw Jedi blades ignited against them." Qui Gon shuddered, "That is when you woke me up."

Dooku furrowed his brow and leaned back in his seat. Once again, his hand reached for his beard. He gently tugged on his beard. His mind lost in thought as to what Qui Gon's visions meant.

Qui Gon tapped his foot impatiently, "Well? What do you think?"

Dooku stopped stroking his beard, "What do I think?" He let his hand fall to his side, "I think that this is something that you need not dwell on."

Qui Gon jerked in surprise, "But why? If this is a vision of the future, then does the extinguishing of Jedi Weapons mean-"

"If you worry about the meaning of such things, my young padawan, you will lose your mind to solving such riddles. It will consume you." Dooku leaned forward, "What I advise you is this, remain in the present. Because where you are right now," He pointed at the floor, "Is where you leave the largest impact on the universe. Concentrate on the here and now. That is where your mind belongs."

Qui Gon gave Dooku a perplexed looked, "But-but Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future."

Dooku shook his head, "But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living force, my young padawan. The force has a plan. It is not set in stone, the details are not known, but the currents of the force move as it wishes to move. To attempt to make sense of it all is to attempt to control the direction of the force and its desires. And to do so is folly. Instead, let the living force guide you."

Qui Gon nodded, "So… what you are saying is, don't worry so much about the future. Worry about what is happening now, in this moment. Let my future be guided by the force."

Dooku smiled, "Precisely."

A sly smirk crossed Qui Gon's face, "And if the force guide's me to-"

"If it guides you to a woman's pants, I will discipline you firmly!"

"Aw, come on!"

….

Lucy could not suppress the large smile growing on her lips. She was practically giddy with excitement. She could not wait to see it.

"Hold still." Mirajane said with a gentle smile as she pressed the stamp firmly onto the back of Lucy's hand.

She felt a slight buzz. A small, pink glow emitted from the bottom of the stamp as it pressed against her skin. Then Mirajane lifted the stamp. Lucy felt a swell of pride fill her. There it was on the back of her hand. The official guild mark of the Fairy Tail guild. She had made it. She was officially a guild wizard.

All it took was leveling half of Hargeon's port.

She uttered a nervous laugh at the memory.

"Something on your mind?" Mira asked as she quietly stored the stamp back behind the bar counter.

Lucy shrugged as she leaned up against the bar.

"Just recalling what happened on my first guild job. Er- well, I guess it technically wasn't a guild job but technically was."

"You survived a job with Erza and Natsu." Mira smiled, "That and you didn't run for the hills afterwards." A concerned look crossed Lucy's face, "I'd say that counts as a guild job for sure."

"Uh…" Lucy glanced behind her and saw the pink haired wizard, Natsu, staring hard at the job request board, "Is it normal for wizards to take such dangerous jobs then?"

"Not really. Natsu actually was not supposed to go after those dark wizards. That was Erza's job. But then again, jobs tend to overlap sometimes. You may think you are doing something on your own when all of a sudden you bump into a guild mate and they agree to lend a hand. And, sometimes you both have the same goal in mind." Mira shrugged, "Most jobs new wizards take involve easier stuff though. Translating spellbooks, maybe guarding a house for day, pest control-"

"Pest control?"

Mira nodded, "We can't just let monsters run freely around people right?"

Lucy felt a bead of sweat drip down her head, "Uh I guess." She gulped, "I hope I don't end up fighting monsters too soon."

"Why's that?" Mira arched an eyebrow, "From what I heard from Erza, you handled yourself very well against Bora of Prominence."

"I think she may be over embellishing how well I did." Lucy replied, "All I did was push the boat back to shore with one of my spirits."

Mira smiled, "And destroying Hargeon at the same time."

"Yeah let's not talk about that part." Lucy cringed while Mira laughed.

The door to the guild hall opened. Erza marched in. Her boot covered feet clopped loudly against the wooden floors of the guild hall. Behind her limped Joshua.

The poor boy looked exhausted. His eyes were half open. He was hunched over and covered in welts and bruises. As soon as he and Erza reached a booth, Joshua flopped over into the seat and passed out.

"Geez, what is Erza doing to the kid?" Lucy asked.

"Training him." Mira replied.

"Well yeah, I saw them in the yard out back a couple days ago. But it didn't look nearly intense enough for Joshua to that beat up."

Mira chuckled, "Erza tends to be very intense. Especially when it comes to teaching and training." She gave Lucy a devious look, "Do you want to know about the time Erza taught Natsu how to read?"

"Erza taught Natsu how to read?" Lucy asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natsu suddenly shudder.

Mira nodded, "It was back when they were both little. Poor Natsu was getting made fun of because he couldn't read the job requests on the board. To be fair, we were being very vicious to him."

"We?" Lucy asked.

Mira sighed, "I was… very different growing up."

"Oh?"

"She was scary." The high pitched voice of Happy declared as he settled down on the bar counter top in front of Lucy.

"But not as scary as Erza." Natsu chirped as he jumped onto the bar stool beside Lucy.

"Any good jobs today Natsu?" Mira asked.

Natsu shrugged, "One or two, but I'm not sure about them yet."

"YOU'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING!"

Natsu, Lucy, and Mira's heads whipped over to the end of the bar. At the very edge sat Master Makarov. And in front of him, glaring angrily up at him, was a little boy on the verge of tears.

Master Makarov's bushy mustache twitched, "Your father is very capable wizard Romeo. Stop worrying so much about him."

Romeo stomped his foot, "But he said he would only be gone for three days. Today it's going to be a whole week since he went on that job to Mount Hakobe!" He watched as Master Makarov took a swig of beer, "It's not that far away! Can you just go and look for him!?"

"What did I just say brat!" Makarov snapped. Over in their booth, both Erza and Joshua watched with growing interest, "Your father is a Fairy Tail wizard. He is more than capable of handling that job. Now stop bothering me about the matter. Go drink some milk or something."

Lucy's eyes widened as Romeo reared back and threw a punch at Master Makarov. His fist hit him square in the nose, sending the diminutive Master rolling off of the bar counter top.

"DAMN YOU!" Romeo bellowed before rushing out of the guild hall, tears running down his cheeks. The guild hall doors slammed loudly behind him.

….

Over in their booth, Joshua sat upright. Every muscle in his body felt as stiff as lead. He groaned, rolled his small shoulders before tapping Erza's arm.

"Hm?" Erza asked.

"What was that all about?" Joshua asked, "Is Mr. Macao alright?"

Erza frowned. In his short time at the guild, Joshua had already started making friends some of the older wizards. Mostly because the older wizards tended to stay around the guild hall rather than constantly going out on jobs like the younger wizards. One of those more senior wizards was Macao Conbolt, Romeo's father. Joshua had become friends with him rather quickly. When he wasn't with Erza, Joshua was sitting with Macao. The older wizard would keep the boy enthralled with tales of jobs he had done. Or, the pair would play cards with another wizard, Wakaba Mine. Occasionally, Cana would join their card games. But that was only if she was sober enough to keep up with the trio. According to Macao, Joshua had started to become quite good at cards.

It made sense for her little squire to be concerned about his friend.

"I'm sure he's fine." Erza replied, "Like Master said, Macao is no pushover. That Mount Hakobe job should be no problem for him."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Erza sighed, "And speaking of jobs, rent is due soon." She rose to her feet. Joshua was about to jump out of the booth with her but she held out her hand, keeping him in his seat.

"Not for this one kid."

"Aw! Why not!" Joshua whined.

"Because," Erza glanced up to the Guild Hall's second floor, "The job I'm planning to take is far too dangerous for you to tag along on."

"I can take care of myself?"

Erza eyed the boy, "Have you snatched the ball from my hands yet?"

Joshua folded his arms, and pouted.

"No." he muttered.

"Then you are nowhere near ready to go with me on a job like this. Besides, unless you are an S-class wizard, you cannot take or go on an S-class job request. It is against guild rules." Erza narrowed her eyes at her squire, "And you know how much I dislike it when someone breaks guild rules."

Joshua felt a shiver run down his spine. Erza's glares were absolutely terrifying.

"So, I'm going to go on a job. You are going to stay here." Erza waved over to the bar. Within moments, Mirajane was striding over.

"What's up you two?" She asked with her usual gentle smile, "Do you want some cake, Erza?"

Erza's mouth watered for a brief moment. But that moment went quickly. She shook her head, "No. I'm actually about to go on a job. One Joshua cannot come with me on. I need someone to look out for him while I'm gone."

Mira nodded, "Don't worry. I'll keep a close eye on him."

"You'll make sure he goes to bed on time?"

Mira nodded, "Yup."

"That he eats his vegetables?"

"Absolutely."

"That he does not cause trouble?"

Mira sighed, "Erza, I raised Elfman. I think I'm more than capable of watching Joshua for a couple days. Now then, which job do you plan on taking."

"That monster hunt out near Oshibana town."

"Ooooh, that one. I hear that monster may prove to be a challenge." Mira warned.

Erza smirked, "And I look forward to it." She glared across the table at Joshua, "Mira is in charge while I'm gone. Understand?"

"I wanna go too." Joshua pouted.

Erza suddenly towered over him. All color ran away from Joshua's face.

"Understand?" She growled.

"Y-yup." Joshua trembled.

"Good." Erza nodded, "I better get going then. Behave yourself." She looked at Joshua, "I'll only be gone for a few days. And keep up with your training."

"Aye sir." Joshua muttered. His voice filled with disappointment.

As Erza left, Mira took a seat across from the pouting ten year old.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up so much."

Joshua rested his head on his hands, "I don't like just sitting around doing nothing. I want to go out on jobs. Fight monster. Beat up bad guys!"

Mira smiled sweetly, "And eventually you will. If anyone can make a person without magic strong, it'd be Erza. You just have to be patient. Getting up to her level is going to take a long time. Especially without magic."

Joshua let his head fall to the table, "You all have an unfair advantage."

Mira giggled, "Maybe so. But you shouldn't let that keep you from doing your best to get stronger." Mira rose from her seat, "I have to go back to the bar now. If you need anything, holler, ok?"

"Sure." Joshua replied glumly.

Mira went back to the bar. Joshua's eyes roved over to where Natsu was sitting. His brow was furrowed and his fists were clenched as he sat beside Lucy. The blonde girl was chatting with one of the other guild members. A petite woman with blue hair by the name of Levy McGarden. From what Joshua could tell, they were talking about books or something. He rolled his eyes. Girls talked about weird stuff.

Natsu suddenly rose from where he was sitting and he slammed his hands on the table, startling Joshua, Lucy, and Levy.

"Yup!" Natsu huffed, "I'm gonna do it."

The fire dragon slayer twirled on his heel and marched towards the exit. Lucy, both puzzled and concerned, rushed after him.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going!"

Natsu glared back at Lucy, "To find Macao."

Joshua stared wide eyed at Natsu as he shoved the guild hall doors open and marched out into the streets of Magnolia.

It was not even an official guild job. There was no reward, no promise of money or fame. It was Natsu deciding to find a friend who may be in trouble. Joshua could feel admiration build up in him. It was a gut decision by Natsu, clearly. He just decided to do what he felt was right. He didn't even consult Mira or Master Makarov about his decision.

Then again did he really need to? Finding Macao and bringing him home was not an official guild job.

Joshua blinked.

 _It's not an official guild job!_

A mischevious gleam glazed over his eyes. His lips curled into a smile. Erza said he could not go on jobs with her. But she never said he could not go on jobs with Natsu and Lucy. And she never said he could not go and… perfom a favor for a friend. And he considered both Macao and Romeo his friends.

Yeah, that's what he was doing. He was going to go do a favor for Mr. Macao and Romeo. He was not going on a guild job.

He jumped from his seat at the booth. His oversized cloak billowing out behind him as he sprinted towards the doors. Just as he reached for the handled, he heard Mirajane clear her throat behind him.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice somehow both kind and incredibly stern at the same time.

"Er-I-erm am, going back to Erza's!" He said. His mind raced for a convincing story. As he spoke he frantically waved his hands in front of his face as Mira's eyes narrowed. She was already suspicious, "I'm not doing anything stupid!" He continued, "I'm just… going to go grab a stick so I can practice. Erza did say I had to keep up with my training."

 _ANd what better way to train than to go help Natsu and Lucy!_ He thought to himself as he put on an innocent smile.

Mira narrowed her eyes further. She stared hard at Joshua, her kind smile fading away.

"I expect to find you in the yard in a couple hours, exhausted from training then." She said lowly. Her voice was filled with warning.

Joshua shuddered then smiled nervously, "T-totally. I will totally be in the yard training for a few hours." He lied, "Now I um- I er- uh- gotta go!"

He shoved the heavy doors to the guild hall open, sprinted as fast he could away from the suspicious barmaid, and raced down the street towards Fairy Hills. As soon as he was certain that Mira was no longer watching him though, he turned and rushed towards the main road that led in and out of town. If he hurried, he'd be able to catch up to Natsu and Lucy.

 _But if I catch up to them, would they send me back?_ He thought to himself, _Actually, I won't catch up. I'll just follow. From a safe distance._ He sprinted out of Magnolia and shot down the road that led to Mount Hakobe. In the distance, he could hear Natsu's loud laughter while Lucy screamed about something, _Alright guys! Let's save Mr. Macao!_

 **And chapter! Hey guys! I apologize for the wait on an update. Life has been busy lately. Especially when it comes to work.**

 **Now as for this chapter, this is clearly setting us up for our Macao arc. Already, Joshua is showing that he likes to find trouble (so long as there is a loophole for him). And now he is following Lucy and Natsu to Mount Hakobe.**

 **I also decided to build Dooku's character a little more with the snippet at the beginning of the chapter. Like I said before, he is going to have a major role in this story. And plus, it is fun exploring his time as a Jedi.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you all think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	7. The Vulcan on Mount Hakobe

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 7

The Vulcan on Mount Hakobe

Lucy winced as the little cart she and Natsu had hitched a ride on hit a large bump on the dirt road. So far, their journey to Mount Hakobe had not taken very long at all. The massive mountain sat a few hours North of Magnolia. But it was so tall that Lucy could have easily seen it from the guild hall back home. As they got closer to the mountain, the road turned from soft dirt to bumpy gravel, then to just straight rocks as the cart rumbled up the mountain's slopes.

As she traveled, Lucy could not help but think about why Macao went all the way up to Mount Hakobe for a job. There wasn't exactly a whole lot of people out this way. So what would draw a wizard from Fairy Tail to such a far away area. She thought about asking Natsu, but considering how he currently was, she didn't think she'd get an answer out of him.

After all, the only phrases he was currently capable of forming involved the words 'sick', 'hurl', and 'spinning'. Lucy had heard from Erza and from Natsu himself about how much he disliked transportation. According to both of them, it made Natsu very motion sick. But to see it with her own eyes. Lucy would not call this motion sickness. This was something beyond motion sickness. An advanced motion sickness yet to be classified by doctors. Never in her life had she seen somehow so debilitated by transportation before.

That made the ride up the mountain kind of boring. She could not talk to Natsu. He was currently doing everything he could to avoid throwing up. Happy was… well Happy. If the conversation wasn't about fish or something else that interested the little blue cat, then it wasn't a conversation worth having to him. So Lucy just sat in the cart quietly, hands in her lap. Alone with her thoughts.

The cart hit another large bump. Lucy jolted in her seat and winced again as her rump hit the wooden bench hard. Lucy then heard a small muffled voice shout out in pain before the cart came to a sudden stop.

A quick series of knocks rang through the cart.

"Here we are." The driver announced from outside the covered cart, "I can't take you any further."

Across from Lucy, Natsu blinked. The color rushed back to his face and his eyes suddenly seemed alive again.

"We stopped moving?" He said with disbelief. He jumped to his feet, "WE STOPPED MOVING!" He pumped a fist in the air.

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.

 _Who would have thought I'd meet someone who considered surviving a trip in a cart to be a major accomplishment._ Lucy thought to herself.

Natsu kicked the door to the cart open and jumped out. Lucy hopped out after him. She expected to see the rocky peak of the mountain around her. Maybe some shrubs here or there. It was summer. So the mountain was supposed to be nice a pretty.

What she wasn't expecting was a blizzard.

An icy wind whipped around her, causing her skin to shrivel up and her teeth to chatter.

"What the hell!" She yelled as the cart pulled away from the pair and began to roll down the mountain, "Since when is there a blizzard in July!"

Natsu glanced over at Lucy, "Is it a problem?"

"YES!" Lucy cried as she furiously rubbed her exposed arms, "How am I supposed to stay warm?"

"You could try my cloak." A child's voice suggested to her.

"No Joshua. I do not need your…" Lucy's eyes widened and her pupils turned to pin pricks, "Cloak."

She whipped her head to her right to see the short ten year old standing in snow that rose up to his waist.

"Suit yourself. But I'm not that cold right now." He said innocently.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Hey, Lucy." Natsu called. The blonde hadn't even noticed the boy had already started marching up the mountain path towards the top, "You coming or not?"

"I-"

"Wait for me, Natsu!" Joshua shouted as he hobbled through the massive snowdrifts.

Lucy's jaw hung open. How did the kid follow them here? Did he-

 _He stowed away on the cart somehow!_ Lucy realized.

And somehow, she and Natsu had not noticed? Or she had not noticed? Because from how Natsu was acting, he did not seem surprised in the slightest to see the ten year old had tagged along for the ride. Lucy hung her head and groaned.

"What is going on anymore?" She wondered aloud.

"C'mon Lucy! There are Vulcans up here! At least that's what Natsu says!" She heard Joshua shout from up ahead, "And you don't wanna get caught by a Vulcan."

Lucy gulped. _A what?_ She heard the wind howl again. And she swore she heard a strange growl traveling through the wind. With a startled cry, she sprinted up the mountain and caught up to Natsu and Joshua. The pair were happily chatting when she reached them.

"Joshua." Lucy said.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

Joshua gave her an innocent smile, "I'm helping find Mr. Macao!"

"Damn right!" Natsu grinned before giving Joshua a high five.

Lucy's jaw hung open, "You knew about this!?" She asked Natsu.

Natsu shrugged, "Not right away. But I smelled him as we got closer to the mountain."

Lucy arched an eyebrow, "Smelled him?"

"Yup." Natsu nodded.

"Part of Natsu's magic is that he has advanced senses." Happy explained to Lucy, "He's got dragon hearing, smelling, sight. All of it!"

Lucy's eyes widened, "R-really?" She gave her head a violent shake, "So you knew pretty much the whole time that Joshua was following us!?"

Natsu grinned back at her, "Yup! Isn't it great that he wants to help out?"

Lucy gulped, "What's not gonna be great is what Erza will have to say when she finds out."

Natsu froze, "Eh?" He gulped. His head creaked over to look at Joshua. The boy was nervously smiling as Natsu stared down at him.

"Um… yeah. So about that." Joshua started.

"Does Erza know about this?" Natsu asked. His voice trembling as he spoke.

Joshua pursed his lips, "Not exactly."

Natsu's pupils shrank and his face turned blue, "Oh…. oh no."

Lucy gulped, "Um, Happy, why is Natsu-"

"ERZA'S GONNA KILL US ALL!" Happy screeched as he raced up to Natsu and his behind his legs.

Lucy's face went ashen, "Oh… that's why." She began to shiver uncontrollably from both fear and the wicked cold hitting her skin. A shaking hand reached for her keys and she withdrew a small silver key in the shape of a clock, "O-open, gate of the cl-clock. Horologium." She stammered.

A loud doorbell rang out over the mountain followed by a brilliant flash of golden light. Within seconds, a tall, grandfather clock appeared. And inside the clock sat Lucy. The girl huddled snugly inside of the celestial spirit.

Joshua gave both Natsu and Lucy a confused glance before looking over at Lucy.

"Um… why?" He asked.

"Because I'm cold. She says with a shaking voice." Horologium the clock said. Inside of the clock, Joshua could see Lucy's mouth moving as she tucked her legs close to her chest, "And I want to avoid Erza's wrath. And this is the only way I know how. She continues with immense fear."

Joshua smirked, "Well, you don't have be afraid."

"Why?" Natsu shuddered, "We are helping you disobey Erza. Which means we are so very dead. Very, very dead."

"I refuse to be that dead. She says firmly." Horologium declared.

"Well, you won't be." Joshua jabbed a thumb to his chest, "Because I'm doing exactly what Erza wanted me to do!"

Both Natsu and Lucy gave Joshua a puzzled look. He smiled triumphantly.

"I am training! What better way to train than to shadow two amazing wizards while they go rescue a friend." Natsu and Lucy both blinked as the boy spoke, "And besides, it's not an official guild job. So technically, I'm not out on a job. I'm just helping out a friend." The boy folded his arms and nodded, "Yup. I'm doing exactly what Erza wanted me to do."

Lucy stared wide eyed at Joshua.

"That's a horrible rationale! She declares." Horologium replied monotonously.

"Works for me." Natsu shrugged, "C'mon guys, we gotta find Macao."

"Are you kidding me!? She cries with disbelief. You're just gonna let it slide that easily!? I won't be a part of this! She finishes with a huff." Horologium said.

Natsu waved a hand back at Lucy, "Fine. Have fun on your own, he says." He finished with a large amount of sarcasm.

Joshua simply jumped up and down in the snow, "Yes! Let's go save, Mr. Macao!" He charged through the snow after Natsu. His little legs losing their footing every so often as he struggled up the mountain. But the entire time he was grinning ear to ear.

"Wait! She cries with despair. Don't leave me!" Horologium began to waddle after Natsu, Happy, and Joshua, "I don't wanna meet whatever a Vulcan is! She cries with fear."

….

Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth.

"HEY MACAO!" He bellowed, "WHERE ARE YOU!"

Joshua shielded his face as the wind and snow came down around them. The intensity of the blizzard had only increased as the three friends from Fairy Tail scaled the mountain. His over sized cloak flapped wildly out behind him like a large flag struggling to stay attached to a small flag pole.

"I don't think it's a good idea to just shout into the wind!" Joshua suggested as the wind howled in his ears.

"You could start an avalanche! She says with warning."

Natsu just ignored Lucy and Joshua, "HEY MACAO! COME ON BUDDY! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"Why exactly was Macao up here in the first place? She asks curiously." Horologium said.

Joshua looked back to Lucy, "I don't know."

"He was out here to take down a Vulcan." Natsu explained to them in between his shouting.

"A what? She gulps with fear."

"A Vulcan. Erza told me about one once." Joshua explained, "It is basically like a big monkey monster. And they're super strong too!"

"What!? She cries."

"Yup!" Joshua grinned, "It's going to be so much fun if we run into one."

"That is not my idea of fun! She exclaims."

"You wanna know something else?" Joshua grinned.

"No. She says nervously."

Joshua laughed giddily, "Vulcans can use Take Over Magic." He laughed even more, "They can literally use magic to inhabit and take over your body! Isn't that so cool!?"

"Not in the slightest! She declares. And I will not have my body violated by a massive, monkey monster! She says vehemently."

"Well obviously." Joshua shrugged, "Me and Natsu are here to protect you."

"MACAO! GET OUT HERE OR I'M GONNA BLOW UP THE MOUNTAIN!"

Lucy began to shake inside of Horologium.

"Somehow I feel even less safe than before. She stammers."

"Oh relax." Joshua waved his hands, "It's not like we are actually going to-"

He paused. There was something off. He could feel it. He couldn't put his finger on what felt wrong, but something in his gut was telling him that they were no longer alone on this mountain pass. There was danger close by. Joshua didn't know how he knew. He just did.

"Hey? Why did you stop? She asks with apprehension."

"MACAO! DAMN IT ALL! STOP PLAYING AROUND!"

Joshua reached over and tugged Natsu's waistcoat.

"Um… Natsu. Something is coming."

Natsu shrugged Joshua's hand away and shouted once again. Meanwhile, the feeling of danger Joshua had only grew. He could feel his spine beginning to shiver. His eyes were drawn towards the path in front of them. There was something charging down the mountain at them. He just knew it.

"Natsu, we need to go." He gulped.

"And leave Macao!?" Natsu growled, "Like hell I am. And ain't no Vulcan, or blizzard, or monster going to stop me from getting my friend back."

A loud crack filled the air. Joshua's head whipped up to see an avalanche of ice, snow, and rocks careening down the mountain towards them.

"Avalanche! She screams in alarm."

"NATSU!" Joshua cried before he felt the fire dragon slayer shove him back, out of the avalanche's path. A second later, the wave of snow and rock slammed into Happy and Natsu, carrying them off the pass and down the mountain side.

"Natsu! She cries in shock."

Joshua couldn't form words as he watched Natsu disappear down the side of the mountain. The feeling of danger in his gut only grew. Then he saw it. The shadow above him and Lucy. A standing where the avalanche started.

His hazel eyes widened.

"Vulcan." He whispered.

With a loud cry, the massive, white haired, ape like creature jumped down to the mountain pass. When it landed, it send sheets of snow flying up in the air. Joshua backpedaled so he could stand beside Horologium. Meanwhile, the Vulcan towered over both of them. It's massive yellow eyes glared down at Joshua. A look of primal disdain that sent fear crawling up his spine.

"Um… Lucy." Joshua gulped, "Do you have anything that can?"

"AAAAAAAAH! She screams loudly."

Joshua gulped, "I guess not."

The Vulcan's eyes shifted over to Horologium. Then down to where Lucy was hiding inside of the large grandfather clock spirit.

"Wo… man." The vulcan rumbled.

Joshua blinked, "What?"

The large, monkey monster began pounding his chest, "Wo-man! Wo-man! Wo-man!"

Joshua whipped his head back and forth between Lucy and the Vulcan. Did this monster had some sort of obsession with girls? The first question that danced through Joshua's mind was why? Girls were gross. They had cooties too. The second question was why would a Vulcan be interested in Lucy of all people? And the third question, why was the Vulcan ignoring him?

Joshua gulped. He clenched his tiny fists and stepped between Lucy and the Vulcan.

"Natsu is gone now." He said through chattering teeth, "And clearly you want Lucy. And- er- since I'm the only man left here I-" The Vulcan's yellow eyes glared at him furiously. Joshua squeezed his own eyes shut and braced himself, "I'm going to have to keep you from touching Lucy."

*WHAM*

A massive furry hand smacked Joshua over the head and sent him flying into the snow and rocks beside the mountain pass. He hit the wall with a loud thump. A small puff of snow erupted from where he impacted. Then they boy slumped down to the ground.

"My hero. She says mockingly."

"Wo-man!" The massive Vulcan reached out, grabbed Horologium, and hoisted it and Lucy over it's head, "WO-MAN!"

"Put me down! She says defiantly."

The Vulcan roared in triumphat then charged back up to the mountain.

….

"Wo-man! Wo-man! Wo-man!"

Lucy felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her head as the massive Vulcan pounded on it's chest. She could feel it's yellow eyes staring down at her. And it's gaze made her skin crawl. She had no doubt that the Vulcan had some insidious things planned for her. Why did it take her to its lair if for no other reason than to do something horrible? It was a monster right? Lucy gulped. Was it thinking about eating her?

"Me like human Woman!" The Vulcan chanted before pounding its chest and prodding Horolgium.

 _Thank goodness for this clock._ Lucy thought to herself as she saw the Vulcan's meaty finger poke the glass casing that she hid inside of.

If it wasn't for her clock spirit, Lucy had no doubt the Vulcan would have tried to do something completely devious already. But as long as she sat safely inside of Horologium, it could not harm her. In fact, almost nothing could. It was one of the reason Lucy summoned Horologium. Once inside the clock spirit, she was protected from attacks, the weather, even disease. It was the safest place she could be in at the moment.

A bright light shimmered around Lucy. Horologium was veiled in golden light. A loud doorbell rang. Then Lucy felt herself fall to the floor of the ice cave she was now in.

"Eh?" She croaked while the Vulcan stared at her in confusion.

It took a moment for her to register what just happened. As soon as she did realized what had happened though, panic seized her.

"GAH!" Lucy cried, "Horologium get back here!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lucy." The disembodied voice of her clock spirit replied, "But our time is up. I wish you good luck."

"I DON'T NEED LUCK! I NEED A PLACE TO HIDE!" She screamed.

Lucy froze as she felt warm breath hit the back of her neck. Her teeth chattered as she slowly turned her head. The Vulcan was behind her now. And it was far too close to her for comfort.

"Now-now li-listen here, Vulcan." Lucy stammered, "I don't know what you're thinking but *gulp* please back away."

Her eyes widened and her pupils shrank as one of the Vulcan's fingers poked the small of her back.

"Wo-man!"

"OK! This is not happening!" Lucy scrambled away from the Vulcan and withdrew her keys from her pocket, "Wait till you get a load of this you Pervy Ape!" She gripped a golden key in the shape of a small axe, " **Open! Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"**

The Vulcan averted its eyes as golden light shined through the cave. Then, beside Lucy, appeared a gigantic, muscular bull with a massive axe strapped to its back. Lucy grinned triumphantly as the Vulcan gave her a perplexed look.

"There! Now I can have some protection."

"Oh Miss Loooocy. Every time you summon me I can't help but look at that smoking body of yours." The Bull said as it grinned at Lucy.

"Oh right." Lucy sighed, "He's a pervert too."

"Hey!" The Vulcan bellowed, causing Lucy to jump, "My human woman!"

Taurus narrowed his eyes at he ape like creature, "Your human woman!? Miss Looocy is nobody's woman!"

Lucy smiled nervously, "Yeah. You tell him, Taurus. Now then," She pointed at the Vulcan, "Take out that Vulcan."

"With pleasure Miss Loooo-"

One of the walls to the cave gave way with a mighty, ear ringing crash. A boy with bright pink hair and a white scaly scarf flew through the air, fists aflame. Lucy's eyes widened and a smile rushed over her face.

"Natsu!" She exclaimed.

Natsu reared back with his fist, "TAKE THAT!"

Lucy's smile disappeared. Her face went through a multitude of emotions. First disbelief. Then confusion. Before finally finishing with fury. There was Natsu, somehow alive, punching her spirit Taurus in the face. The punch was so massive in fact, that it launched the massive bull up off of his feet and sent him flying several feet back. The bull finally landed in a crumpled heap on the icy floor of the cave. Eyes spinning and muttering incoherently as Natsu grinned triumphantly.

"There you go, Luigi!" He gave her a thumbs up.

"You idiot! That wasn't the Vulcan! That was one of my celestial spirits!" Lucy stomped her foot, "And my name is not Luigi!"

Natsu blinked, "That wasn't the Vulcan?"

"No!" Lucy pointed at the mass of white fur across the room, "That! That is the Vulcan!"

"OH right!" Natsu laughed sheepishly, "My bad, Luigi. Tell your big cow I said sorry."

"He's a bull and my name is Lucy!" She shouted back as Natsu strode up to the hulking Vulcan.

The massive beast stared down at Natsu. Yellow eyes boring furious holes into the pink haired teen. Natsu meanwhile, cracked a toothy grin before cracking his knuckles.

"So you're the one that decided to try and collapse a mountain on me, huh?"

The Vulcan arched it's brow before jabbing it's finger into Natsu's chest, "You in the way of woman!"

Natsu scowled, "In the way huh?" The vulcan nodded, "You can understand me then, can't you?" The Vulcan scowled in return, "Which means you will be able to answer my next question for me." Natsu's right hand burst into flames. He swung a wild hook at the Vulcan's head, "WHERE IS MACAO!"

The hook landed and the Vulcan flew across the cave and into the wall. The entire cave shuddered from the impact. Natsu grit his teeth and marched towards the Vulcan once again.

The massive creature shook its head. The punch had not only rattled it, but pissed it off. With a loud cry, the Vulcan charged at Natsu. It raised both its hands over its head, preparing to pound Natsu into the ground.

Natsu quickly lashed out with a fiery kick. The Vulcan tumbled across the floor once again. This time, it was much slower to get up.

"I'm not gonna ask again! Where is Macao?" Natsu lit both of his fists on fire, "Tell me! Or I'm really gonna hurt ya!"

The Vulcan shook off the fog that had invaded it's mind. It bared it's teeth at Natsu. Dangerously long canines flashed as Natsu drew closer. With speed that even surprised the dragon slayer, the Vulcan sprinted to the side. Right towards Lucy and Taurus.

Lucy let out a yelp before scrambling away from her unconscious celestial spirit. It was only when she made it to Natsu's side that she realized what the Vulcan was actually aiming for.

"Oh no." She gulped.

The ape grinned dangerously as it held Taurus' axe. It gripped the massive weapon with both hands then growled at Natsu.

"Um Natsu-"

"Yeah. This isn't very good." Natsu interrupted.

The Vulcan chuckled. Then it charged. Lucy jumped behind Natsu. Natsu grit his teeth and rushed at the Vulcan.

"Take this!" Natsu pulled his fist back, " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"**

The Vulcan swung Taurus' axe. Both attacks clashed with a loud crack. But Natsu proved stronger. The vulcan slid backwards on the ice while Natsu landed easily on his feet.

"Damn." The pink haired boy cursed, "You are a tough monkey aren't ya?" He lit his fist aflame again, "Guess we're just going to have to try harder!"

"Holy crap!" A small voice gasped near the cave entrance.

Natsu, Lucy, and the Vulcan all looked over to see a weary Joshua stumble into the cave. The kid doubled over and took a long breath. His chest heaved up and down as he gasped for breath.

"Too long of a climb." Joshua shook his head. He sucked in another long breath before resting his hands on his knees. "Way too long."

Joshua looked up and locked eyes with the Vulcan. The boy's hazel eyes narrowed and he snarled at the massive creature.

"Alright you stupid ape!" He pounded a fist into his open palm, "I'm here for some payback." Joshua rushed forward. His cloak billowed out behind him, "Eat my Fi-aaaaaah!"

The bottom of his cloak caught his heel. Joshua felt his feet fly out in front of him before he landed hard on the ice beneath him. The other three simply watched as the boy spun out of control on the ice before sliding hard into a wall. Lucy winced as his head snapped back and hit the icy wall with a sickening crack.

Before Lucy could rush over to check if Joshua was ok, she had to duck under a wild swing from the Vulcan. The blade of the axe narrowly grazed the top of her head, trimming some of the blonde hair on top of her head in the process. She let out a loud, fearful cry before scrambling back over to Taurus. Meanwhile, Natsu did battle with the Vulcan. He struggled as he dodged the Vulcan's wild axe swings. Every time the axe missed it slammed into the ice. Littering the wall, floor, even ceiling with cracks and gashes.

"Taurus!" Lucy gripped the Bull's shoulders and shook him rapidly, "Go back! Go back already! If you go back then the gate will close and your axe will go with you!"

"Alright… miss…. Loooocy." The Bull babbled before shimmering and dissapearing in a brief golden flash.

As soon as Taurus returned to the Celestial Spirit world, the axe dissapeared from the Vulcan's grip. The big ape jerked back in shock before staring puzzled at it's hands.

"Alright!" Natsu grinned, "Now I've gotcha!" He sucked in an enormous amount of air. His fist went up to his lips and created a small funnel in front of his mouth, " **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

Fear erupted from the Vulcan as a massive blast of red hot fire careened towards it. There was no time at all for it to dodge. All the beast could do was cry out in pain as the fire blasted it off of it's feet and into the cave wall. The ceiling above it shuddered. Rubble rained down on the Vulcan as Natsu uttered the last of his massive roar.

Natsu took a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh, "Yup." He rubbed his upper lip, "That should do the trick."

"Did you get it?" Lucy hesitantly asked.

The smoke slowly cleared. And once it did. Natsu chuckled and gave her a thumbs up. Laying in a heap across the cave, was the Vulcan. Eyes whited out and mouth agape. The beast had been completely beaten.

"Yup." Natsu grinned.

"Awesome!" Lucy cheered. Then she stopped, "But wait. Wasn't that Vulcan supposed to tell us where Macao was?"

Natsu blinked then laughed, "Ah right. He was. I might have gotten a little carried away huh? Oh well." Natsu cracked his knuckles, "Just gonna have to ask him again then."

"I think we should take a different approach this time. Knocking it out once it wakes up isn't going to help."

"How can you be so sure?" Natsu asked.

"Oh just a gut feeling." Lucy replied sarcastically, "Now then, you go see if you can get any answers from the Vulcan. I'm gonna go check on Joshua."

"The kid's fine." Natsu waved her off, "Don't worry about him."

"Um, need I remind you that he doesn't have magic." Lucy remarked, "And if he gets hurt while with us guess who Erza's going to blame?"

Natsu's blood went cold in his veins. Before Lucy could even utter another word, Natsu flew by her and knelt beside Joshua. He violently shook Joshua's shoulders.

"Damn it kid wake up! Please don't be dead! If you're dead then I'm dead. And Luigi is dead! Oh crap!" Nervous sweat poured down Natsu's head as he shook Joshua more.

A small moan left Joshua's lips. Natsu stopped shaking him.

"Oh…" The dragon slayer let out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank god." He smiled back at Lucy, "Told you he was fine."

"Yeah, you sure told me." Lucy folded her arms, "Come on. Let's get this monkey talking already!"

"Right." Natsu and Lucy both moved towards the Vulcan. Right as Natsu was about to shake the monster awake, the body shimmered. Both wizards backed away several steps. After a few seconds, the shimmering stopped. The Vulcan had disappeared. In its place was a man in his early thirties. His purple hair was tousled and his eyes were sealed shut in pain. His white coat was torn in several places. And the beard that was growing around his chin needed a trim. Lucy did not recognize the guy. But Natsu did.

"Macao!" Natsu exclaimed.

Both he and Lucy grabbed the man and helped him away from the pile of ice and rubble. Lucy dug into Natsu's pack and withdrew a blanket for the injured man to lie down on. Natsu set about removing Macao's coat and dressing his injuries with bandages. While Natsu did that, Lucy dragged Joshua over to the blanket. The boy was in just as bad of shape as Macao. He may not have had the visible scratches or bruises. But there was a rather large lump on the back of his head.

 _He probably has a concussion._ Lucy thought before returning her attention to Macao.

"He took a beating didn't he?" Lucy muttered.

"Yeah." Natsu grit his teeth, "C'mon Macao, wake up. Romeo's waiting for you back at the guild."

To Lucy's immense surprise, Macao began to stir. He cracked his eyes open and groaned.

"Hey Natsu." He croaked, "Shame you gotta see me like this."

"Don't you say that. I'm just glad we got here when we did." Natsu replied.

Macao didn't reply. Instead he just stared up at the ceiling.

"What am I going to tell Romeo?" He wondered aloud, "I managed to take down nineteen of those damn monsters." He grit his teeth, "But the twentieth one got me." He clenched his fists at his side, "I'm weak."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. This guy took down nineteen Vulcans! She and Natsu struggled with taking down one of them.

"That's bullshit Macao!" Natsu snapped back, "You beat nineteen Vulcans! Not many wizards can say that!"

"But I lost still." Macao replied.

"But you're alive." Lucy interjected, "And like Natsu said. You beat nineteen. Me and him struggled with one."

Natsu cast Lucy a glare, "I wouldn't say struggled but-"

"The point is. You're not weak. In my opinion, you're incredibly strong." Lucy smiled at Macao, "You should be proud. Because I know when Romeo finds, he sure will be."

Macao stared stunned at Lucy for a moment. A small grin formed on his cracked lips.

"You're probably right." He groaned, "I'm sure I'll feel better once these injuries are taken care of back home." Macao glanced over at Natsu, "Speaking of home, I see we have a new addition to the family." He nodded at Lucy, "Nice going kid. You picked up a hottie."

Lucy grit her teeth but held her tongue. She would let that one slide. If only because this guy barely escaped with his life on this job.

 _Now I see where the Vulcan got its pervy tendencies from._

Natsu simply laughed, "Yup! This is Lucy! She helped me, Erza, and Joshua on a job down in Hargeon. And now she's our guildmate."

Macao smiled, "That's good to hear. Well, it's nice to meet you Lucy. I wish our first meeting could have happened under better circumstances."

Lucy waved her hand, "Don't worry about it. If nothing else, this will be an adventure I sure won't forget." The blonde got to her feet, "Now then, I think we should start heading home. Who knows how long we've been gone for."

Natsu nodded, "Aye!" He looked across the cave towards the entry. Standing in the entryway was a small, exhausted blue cat, "Hey Happy! I know you're tired from flying me back up the mountain, but do you think you can fly Macao out of here?"

Happy's usual smile ran away from his face.

"Do I have to?"

….

Bora shifted in his cell. The magic suppression stone cuffed around his wrists and ankles practically bit into his skin. Being deprived of magic was incredibly painful. He could deal with being jailed in the Magic Council's prison. Being in a dark, cold cell wasn't the worst thing and world. It sucked for sure. But he could deal with it. But he could not stand the feeling of his magic being locked away. He could feel it inside of him. Bubbling deep beneath the surface. And no matter how hard he tried, he could not access his magic. And without that familiar feeling coursing through his veins, he felt hollow, empty, powerless.

And he hated it.

It was all those damn Fairies fault!

He grit his teeth and clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. He could feel his teeth creaking as his jaw clenched tighter and tighter.

If they had not been in Hargeon he would have gotten away clean! He would have made a massive profit on those girls he had persuaded to join him on his yacht. Then he would have been home free. A wealthy man in the country of Bosco. A life of permanent luxury was there for the taking. Then it was robbed from him by Titania and her friends.

 _When I get out of here._ He thought, _I'm going to find them and make them pay! They will pay dearly. Titania, her idiot pink haired friend, that brat, and the blonde. Oh yes, they will suffer._

"Thinking about revenge, Bora of Prominence?"

The voice jerked Bora out of his thoughts. Surprise rushed over his face. He hadn't even the door to his cell open. Yet there he was, standing in his cell's doorway. Bora recognized that blue hair, the unmistakable tattoo over his right eye. Combine that with his arrogant demeanor and overwhelming presence, and Bora knew exactly who was standing in his prison cell. He didn't know whether to laugh or shake with fear.

"Councilor Siegrain." Bora growled, "This is a rather unexpected visit."

Siegrain moved across the cell so that he could stand directly in front of Bora. The imprisoned wizard's gaze followed his every move. What was Siegrain doing in his cell anyways? He was nothing but a low life criminal at this point. Why was a member of the magic council visiting him?

"For you perhaps." Seigrian replied, "But for me this has been planned for quite some time. Ever since your trial actually."

"What?" Bora scoffed, "Got bored of hanging out with your fellow council members so you had to just bother me?"

Siegrain clicked his tongue, "Bora. Bora. You shouldn't be talking to me that way. After all, I'm not bothering you am I?" Siegrain knelt down so that he was at Bora's level, "But you have bothered me. You have bothered me a great deal."

Bora suddenly felt the magic pressure in his cell ratchet up to levels he could have never dreamed of attaining. Fear gripped him in that moment. He could feel cold sweat running down the back of his neck as Siegrain's eyes narrowed at him.

"My only question I have for you right now Bora is this," Seigrain's hand snapped out and gripped the dark wizard's jaw, "Why did you attempt to double cross us?"

Bora gave Siegrain a confused look, "Double cross?"

"Yes." Siegrain growled, "Why did you attempt to take slaves to Bosco instead of to their intended destination hmm? The destination you and our mutual friend agreed to."

Bora's eyes widened in realization. This wasn't a cordial visit from a magic council member. And this wasn't an interrogation either. This was something far, far worse.

"I-I-I-"

"Shhhh." Siegrain silenced the stammering mage, "I know why. You got greedy. And you paid for it in the end didn't you." Siegrain rose to his feet, "Do you want to know who on the magic council put the contract out on you?"

Bora could hardly speak. The pressure in the room continued to grow. The amount of magic power this man was exuded made him want to crawl into a ball and hide. But there was nowhere he could hide. He was completely at Seigrain's mercy.

"What's the matter?" The blue haired man chuckled, "Cat got your tongue? Don't worry, I'll still tell you." Siegrain chuckled, "It was me. I set the Fairy Tail wizards loose on you."

Bora's mouth opened and closed. Then opened again, "Wh-why? If- if you know our mutual friend. I- If you and him are working together then why would you-"

"Because Bora, you became a loose cannon. You got greedy. You failed in your end of the bargain." Siegrain shook his head, "And now our friend will have to find a new way to acquire laborers for the Tower. All because of your greed and foolishness. Oh… and needless to say. Our friend is not happy with you. Not at all."

Bora audibly gulped, "Well...what more can he do to me? I'm already imprisoned."

Siegrain laughed loudly, "You think you are safe in here? Ha! You poor creature." He moved towards the cell door and opened it with a loud creak, "This is the worst place you could have possibly ended up."

Bora watched as Siegrain exited his cell. Panic began to build up in Bora as the man turned away from him.

"But-but I haven't said anything! The council doesn't know anything! You were at my trial! I stayed true to my word! I did not tell them anything!"

Siegrain glanced back at a trembling Bora.

"True. But that doesn't mean you will stay silent in the future. Prison has a way of making prisoners become _very_ honest. Besides, I have no doubt one of those old fools, Org or Yajima, will come down here and conduct their own personal interrogations. And well, I just can't let a loose end like you exist."

Bora's face paled as Siegrain jerked his cell door open. As he exited, he heard the man speak to another person on the other side of the door.

"Have fun with him, my dear."

Bora was shaking with fear now. The door to his cell closed once again as a woman with jet black hair entered. She cast an evil glare at Bora before raising her hands. A small silver orb hovered in the space between her and Bora. Bora uttered a terrified scream. And Siegrain smiled as he walked away from his prison cell.

 **And chapter! Macao has been rescued! Joshua mostly got in the way, and we got to see Natsu and Lucy show off a little bit of what they can do. It mostly went according to how the anime goes. But I am going to be changing things up as we get further along in the story.**

 **Speaking of changing things up, that's exactly what I did with that little bit at the end. Call this a fan theory of mine, but I always wondered, why was Bora taking slaves in the first place? He had to be doing it for some time if he knew how to do it and how to be successful at taking slaves. So who was he giving slaves to? I wonder. It's gonna connect to an arc in the future. But let's just say, I decided to let my inner fairy tail conspiracy theorist shine through with that bit (dons tin foil hat).**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	8. An Unwelcome Surprise Party

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 8

An Unwelcome Surprise Party

"You know," Lucy began before taking a sip of tea from the steaming cup in front of her. She calmly set the cup back down on the table then leaned back in the booth, "I honestly thought that we would be screwed when we got back from Mount Hakobe."

Across the table from her sat Natsu. His feet rested up on top of the table while he lounged back against the booth. His eyes stared up at the ceiling, bored.

"Why's that?"

"Well," Lucy continued, "Joshua stowed away with us. And he got injured. And not only did he disobey Erza, and Mira, but he caused us to disobey them as well. I thought for sure we were done for. After all, Erza has a pretty severe reputation to uphold. And as nice as Mira is, I get the feeling from how others talk about her that she can be just as stern as Erza." She leaned her head on her hand and glanced over at Joshua as he precariously stacked dishes up on a larger wooden cupboard, "That kid's got a manipulative side to him doesn't he?" She smiled as the stool Joshua was using fell over and he was left hanging by his hands on the top of the cupboard.

"What's so funny?" Natsu asked.

Lucy smirked then jabbed a thumb over to the bar. Just as she did so, a loud crash rang out through the guild hall as multiple dishes, cups, and glasses came tumbling down from shelves and trays onto the floor. Natsu looked over and saw Joshua lying on the ground beneath a pile of shattered plates, chipped glasses, and bent silverware.

"Ouch." Joshua whimpered

"It's entertaining watching a brat get his comeuppance." Lucy grinned.

"Did you just knock the shelf over!" Mirajane barked in the background.

Natsu had to stifle a laugh as the poor kid scrambled to his feet and began frantically sweeping up the broken dishes.

"No!" Joshua shouted back Mira.

*Whack*

Mira smacked Joshua upside the head with a wooden spoon.

"Don't lie to me again." She said calmly before returning to the very back where the guildhall kitchen was.

"Aye ma'am." Joshua mumbled,

Mira paused at the doorway to the kitchen. The barmaid glanced over and saw the boy beginning to struggle to lift the massive shelf back upright. She sighed and shook her head.

"Go take a break kid." Mira ordered calmly, "I'll get Elfman to put that back."

Joshua blinked, "R-really?"

Mira nodded, "You've got ten minutes. Then I expect you back here helping me at the bar."

"Aye ma'am!" Joshua smiled before scrambling away from the bar. In the process he slipped on the tail of his cloak, causing his back to slam into the floor. The boy uttered a quick curse before jumping to his feet again and rushing over to where Natsu and Lucy were sitting.

"Hiya!" He grinned.

"Hey Joshua." Lucy smiled sweetly.

"Mira really laid into you!" Natsu roared. He could not contain his laughter any longer.

"Yeah yeah. Enjoy the entertainment while it lasts." Joshua grumbled back before sitting down beside the dragon slayer. He rested his elbows on top of the table before resting his head in his hands. HIs short legs swung in the air beneath him. Unable to touch the floor from where he sat in the booth, "So… whatcha going to be doing today, Lucy?" He asked.

The blonde shrugged, "I don't know. I'm moving into my new place today. But other than that, I'm not sure."

Both Joshua and Natsu blinked.

"New place?" Joshua said

"You're not staying with the other girls?" Natsu asked.

Lucy shook her head, "Nah. I prefer to have a bit more privacy I guess. And well, I didn't think Fairy Hills really provided that."

"Sure it does." Joshua rebutted, "I mean, no one ever bothers Erza."

"That's because Erza is scary." Happy grinned as he rested beside Natsu, "And Lucy isn't."

Lucy grit her teeth, "I can be scary when I want to be."

"So where is your new place?" Joshua asked.

"Oh down by the main canal. It's just a small apartment. Nothing special about it." Lucy waved the curious boys off, "It does come fully furnished though so that's nice. Oh! And the my landlord gave me a screaming deal on it. Only 70,000 jewel a month."

Joshua and Natsu's jaws dropped.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"Sev-seventy thousand?" Joshua stammered.

"A month!" Natsu gaped.

The boys stared at Lucy in silence for a brief moment.

Lucy shifted in her seat as the boys stared at her stunned.

"What?" She finally asked.

"So how rich are you really?" Joshua suddenly asked.

Lucy jerked back in surprise, "I um-well-"

"Yeah, Luce." Natsu leaned over the table, "How rich are ya exactly?"

"Look! I'm not rich, ok!" Lucy barked back. She folded her arms over her chest, "It's just a nice apartment in a really good area of town. So I figured seventy thousand was a steal."

"Most dangerous jobs aren't even worth seventy thousand." Joshua muttered, "So how are you going to come up with the rent?"

Lucy's eyes widened, "Erm… I…" She scratched the side of her head, "I guess I'll have to go on a lot of jobs then, huh?"

Both Joshua and Natsu nodded in agreement.

Lucy let out a nervous breath. Joshua arched an eyebrow. He was now very confused. Why was Lucy so nervous all of a sudden? All he and Natsu asked was how rich she was? How did a question like that make her so uptight all of a sudden? He frowned.

 _Maybe she's insecure about money?_ He thought to himself.

Lucy got to her feet, "Speaking of my apartment though. It's almost time for me to move in. I got to go get my key and get my stuff moved in." She waved to Natsu and Joshua as she ran out of the guild hall, "I'll see you guys later!"

"Sure thing Luce!" Natsu waved back with a grin. Joshua waved back without saying a word.

As soon as Lucy was out of the guildhall, Joshua jabbed Natsu's side with his elbow.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked.

"That Lucy has got some sort of buried treasure hidden in her apartment?" Natsu replied.

Joshua arched an eyebrow, "Er… sorta, I guess." He scratched the back of his head, "I was more thinking along of the lines of we should pay Lucy a surprise visit tonight."

"Surprise visit?" Natsu questioned.

"Yeah! I mean, someone has gotta hang out in her new apartment. Otherwise what is the point of getting such a nice place, right?" Joshua replied with a shrug.

Natsu nodded slowly, "I think I'm starting to get where you're going."

"Exactly." Joshua agreed before slapping Natsu's back, "You and I should throw her a welcome home party!"

Natsu gave him a giddy smile, "Yeah! A welcome to Magnolia party!" Natsu's smile faded a little, "But… do you think she'll want us in her new apartment?"

Joshua waved off Natsu's concern, "Of course she would! We're her friends right? As long as we knock and ask to come in, and as long as she lets us in, we'll be good to go."

Natsu nodded, "Ok. I agree!" He slid out of the booth, "And I'm going to provide a welcome home present too!"

Joshua arched an eyebrow, "That being?"

Natsu grinned back at the ten year old as she strode over to the job request board, "She's gotta pay that rent somehow right?"

….

 _Dear Mom,_

Lucy smiled as she wrote those words down on the peice of paper she had placed on her desk. Writing those words always gave her a warm feeling. She loved writing letters to her mom.

 _Sorry it's been a while since I've written a letter to you. Life has been kinda crazy lately._

 _First, you're not going to believe it, but I joined a wizard guidl! I know right!? Crazy huh? Me, in a wizard guild! I could hardly believe when it happened myself!_

Her eyes darted down at the back of her right hand as she wrote. The pink Fairy Tail stamp sparkled in the lamplight of her room. She felt a spring of joy rise up in her as she looked at it. Her pen began to scratch at her paper once again.

 _The guild is called Fairy Tail. You may not have heard of them, but they are one of the best guild's in all of Fiore!_

 _And I've never felt more at home than with the guild._

 _I've already made some friends too. Some of them are normal. Er… well, what is considered normal under Fairy Tail standards…. Ok they aren't normal at all. But that's what makes being around them all the more fun._

 _First there is Erza Scarlet and her little squire, Joshua. Erza is a very… intense person. But I don't think I've ever met anyone who cares more about her friends than she does. She seems to care a lot about the rules too. And for some reason, everyone is terrified of her. I'm not quite sure why yet. But she does have this glare that makes me shiver. She has never directed one my way yet, but I don't plan on giving her cause to anytime soon._

 _As for her little squire, Joshua. He's a trouble maker that one. I guess it's a good thing Erza has taken him under her wing. From what I've seen, he needs a strong hand to keep him in line. Otherwise he'll just find trouble whenever he can. Like that time he stowed away on a rescue mission with me and Natsu. I'll tell you about that another time. But it was certainly a day I won't forget anytime soon._

 _Speaking of Natsu. He's the other friend I've made since arriving here in Magnolia. Natsu Dragneel and his talking cat, Happy._

Lucy cringed a little. Even after writing out that sentence, even after experiencing Happy the talking cat first hand, she could hardly believe she was writing about a talking cat.

 _I know, talking cat. You must think I'm crazy. But it's true. Natsu and Happy are partners I suppose. They are always by each other's side. They go on jobs together. It's kind of adorable. Although that cat can be an enormous pest at times._

 _As for Natsu, I met him in Hargeon along with Erza and Joshua. He's… interesting to say the least. I'm not entirely sure if you'd approve of him or not. He's wild… in a good way. He tends to go way overboard with his magic at times. He's stubborn, loud, a bit naive, but he always has a this massive, toothy grin that makes you not help but smile back. If I had to pick someone I've met that encompasses the spirit of Fairy Tail, then he'd be it._

 _And wait until I tell you about-_

*Crash*

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" She heard someone hiss from beyond the door to her room.

"Way to go idiot! We were supposed to be quiet!" A second, far younger voice, hissed.

"SHHHHHH!" The first voice snapped back.

"You both are being very loud." A high pitched third voice observed.

"SHHHH!" The first two voices hissed at the third voice.

Lucy felt her hands beginning to tremble. Someone had just broke into her apartment. Her brand new apartment. She gulped, fear running through her veins. Were they bandits? Thieves? Or worse? Her shaking hand reached across her desk towards her small key ring. The three gold and four silver keys clinked together like wind chimes as she snatched them from the desk. She gulped and rose from her seat.

"Where do you think the buried treasure is in here?" The first voice asked.

"Ok first, this apartment is on the second floor." The second voice whispered back, "So it technically wouldn't be buried. Second, we are not here for buried treasure!"

Lucy felt a cold sweat run down her spine. So they weren't here for money then? What could these burglars be here for then? She glanced at the keys clutched between her fingers. One gold key was far more rare than any treasure in the world? Could they be after her keys? Lucy's fist tightened around them. She would not let them touch her spirits.

She inched closer to the door. Taking great pains to not make any noise as her feet fell on the wooden floor boards.

"What were we here for again?" The first voice asked.

The second voice groaned, "It's a surprise for Lucy, remember!"

Lucy's eyes widened. These burglars knew her? Her eyes widened. Fear now strangled her. What if they weren't after money, or her keys. What if they were after her.

 _Did He send men after me?_ She thought.

"Oh! So that's why we came in the window and didn't just knock." The first voice pointed out.

"No! We did try to knock. But no one answered."

"She didn't hear us? I wonder why?"

"She's was probably doing girly stuff." The second voice replied, "Like her hair or whatever."

Lucy forced her hand to stop shaking as she reached for the door knob. She took a deep breath. She had her spirits by her side. If these men were up to something nefarious, then they would protect her. Lucy readied her magic power. At a moment's notice, she could channel that power into one of her keys and unlock the gate to the celestial spirit world. Then these burglars would stand no chance of harming or robbing her.

"So what do we do now?" The first voice asked as Lucy began to nudge the door open.

"I don't know." The second voice whispered back, "Act casual I guess."

"We could start cooking her a fish." The third voice butted in.

Lucy blinked, _Why would burglars want to cook me a fish?_ Her back stiffened, _A fish!_ Her hands stopped trembling and her eyes narrowed.

"Does everything revolve around fish for you, Happy!" The second voice snapped.

Lucy's knuckles turned white and her teeth creaked as her jaw tightened. She could hear the doorknob groaning in protest as her grip tightened.

"No!" Happy replied.

Lucy opened the door enough so she could peak out into the living room of her apartment. There were three figures standing in the shadows. One was a short boy. The other a taller teen. And the third was the size of a small, bipedal cat.

"What do we do when Lucy comes in here?"

"What else should we do except-"

Lucy's hand snapped out at the light switch on the wall. The lights flicked on. The three intruders froze.

"I KNEW IT!" Lucy roared before launching herself at Natsu, Joshua, and Happy.

Her foot slammed into Natsu's cheek. Natsu twirled around before colliding with Joshua. Both boys tripped over each other then fell in a heap on top of Happy.

"YOU THREE BROKE INTO MY APARTMENT!" Lucy bellowed. Her fists shook as she spoke.

"No." Joshua replied groggily. He rubbed the side of his head. Natsu elbowed it as the pair fell, "We let ourselves in."

"That's breaking and entering!" Lucy roared.

"Oh relax Lucy." Natsu smiled back, "We're here to give you a welcome home surprise party."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the pair. Meanwhile, Happy struggled to free himself from beneath the two boys.

"So-" Joshua started.

"Surprise!" Natsu cried as he waved his hands.

"OUT!" Lucy roared.

"Oh come on!" Joshua replied before jumping to his feet and dashing over to Lucy's kitchen. The blonde barely saw him as he zipped over to the pantry, "This is a party. So we need to get some food out!"

"You can't just go into my pantry and-"

"Great idea, Joshua!" Natsu smiled from across the room. Lucy's gaze whipped over to him and- her heart jumped to her throat, "So what exactly is this, Luce?" Natsu asked as he held a stack of papers.

Lucy screeched, punched Natsu in the cheek, then snatched the stack of papers from his hands. She threw the papers into a cupboard, pressed her back against he cupboard, and took several heaving breaths.

"Do. Not. Touch. That." She heaved.

"Whoa!" Joshua withdrew a box of chocolates, "You've got a lot of sweets in here Lucy."

"Maybe that's why you're so heavy." Happy pointed out with an innocent smile.

Lucy eyes twitched. She watched as the three boys smiled then sat down on her sofa and chair. Joshua draped his legs over the chair's armrests while he munched on a chocolate bar. Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy had peeled open a bag of potato chips.

"Come and join the party, Lucy!" Natsu grinned, his mouth full of chips.

"I never asked for a party." Lucy frowned.

"But you're getting one." Joshua pointed out. He took a bite of the chocolate bar, "I mean, you're part of the Fairy Tail family right. So, me and Natsu figured we needed to give you a proper welcome."

Lucy eyes the boy suspiciously, "Isn't it past your bedtime kid?" She asked.

Joshua shook his head, "What Erza doesn't know won't hurt her."

"Oh really?" Lucy placed her hands on her hips, "And what if I told her what happened here tonight?"

Fear rushed over Joshua's face. A nervous sweat formed on his brow. As Lucy tapped her foot beside him, he took a deep breath then smiled.

"Well, then you won't be able to be a part of our team." He grinned.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Team?"

"Yeah!" Natsu grinned innocently, "See, some of us wizards in the guild operate independently. But for jobs that are too big for one of us to handle, we often form teams to complete them."

"And a team means jobs with more jewel become available." Joshua said as he rubbed two fingers together.

"Yup!" Natsu grinned, "So, we wanted to ask if you wanted to form a team with us."

Lucy could feel a small smile tug on the corner of her mouth. SHe suppressed it though.

"Aren't you technically not a guild wizard, Joshua?" She asked, her arms now folded over her chest.

Joshua bobbed his head back and forth, "Kinda sorta. I'm training under Erza, so eventually I'll be one. And when I do become a guild wizard, I'll be able to help out the team more!"

"So I'll just be teaming up with Natsu."

"And Happy." Natsu pointed out, "But, before we make the team, we want to know more about your magic."

Lucy blinked in surprise, "You want to know more about my magic?"

"Yeah!" Joshua smiled, "I mean, we barely saw it in Hargeon and on Mount Hakobe. And Erza made your magic sound like a really cool thing. So we wanna know more about it."

Lucy couldn't hold back the smile this time, "Oh well… sure! Well, as a celestial wizard. I summon celestial spirits that I have a contract with." She held up her key chain, "A celestial wizard can form a contract with any celestial spirit so long as they have the correct key to open that spirit's gateway." Lucy pointed at the silver keys, "The silver ones you can find in magic shops all over the place."

"Which ones do you have?" Joshua asked, his voice filled with excitement. Eyes wide with wonder. Natsu just stared on absentmindedly.

"Well, I have The Southern Cross, The Clock, The Lyre, and Canis Minor." Lucy snapped her fingers, "Speaking of Canis Minor. I still need to make a contract with him. He's the spirit I just got in Hargeon. And with all the craziness that has happened over the past couple of days, I just haven't had time to open his gate and work out the details." Lucy gave the boys a wide smile, "Do you want to see what it's like to make a contract with a celestial spirit?"

Both boys nodded.

"Alright!" Lucy replied. She gripped one of her silver keys and held it out in front of her.

"Do you think it involves some sort of blood sacrifice?" Joshua whispered to Natsu.

Natsu gulped as he watched Lucy with wide eyes, "Maybe she sells part of her soul to the spirit?"

Lucy did not notice the pair whispered. She twisted her wrist, and turned the key.

"I open your gate and call upon thee now!" A loud doorbell sounded in the apartment. Natsu and Joshua's eyes grew wider as they key was enveloped in a golden magic circle, " **Open! Gate of The Canis Minor: Nikora!"**

A golden light filled the room. Then out of the light appeared a small, trembling little creature. It looked almost like a small snowman. A little bulbous head with small, dark eyes and a carrot like nose sat on top of a small body with soft arms and legs. Both Joshua and Natsu blinked as they stared at the little creature.

"I don't think it worked." Joshua commented.

"Better luck next time Lucy!" Natsu reassured the blonde.

"It worked just fine, you two!" Lucy huffed then looked down at the trembling little spirit, "Ohhhhh, isn't he so cute!"

"Cute?" Both Joshua and Natsu echoed.

"Yeah! You see, Nikora isn't meant for combat. They aren't particularly strong. So most people just keep them as pets." Lucy explained as she went over to a shelf and grabbed a notepad and pencil, "Now here comes the important part. The contract."

The blonde waltzed over to the little spirit then knelt down at it's eyes level. Joshua and Natsu leaned forward, waiting for whatever crazy magic that was about to unfold.

"So…" Lucy began. Joshua and Natsu waited with bated breath, "What days are you available for summoning?"

The trembling spirit replied with a small 'puuun' before holding aloft a few fingers.

"Three days. Ok." Lucy scribbled on her notepad, "And at what time?"

The spirit shrugged.

"Anytime those days! Awesome!" Lucy grinned, "Oh! And I need to give you a name."

"Isn't it's name Nikora?" Natsu asked.

"That's the name of the variety, not _his_ name." Lucy pointed out. She rubbed her chin then snapped her fingers, "I'm gonna name you Plue!" She picked up the little spirit and wrapped it in a tight hug.

Both Natsu and Joshua raised their brows.

"Plue?" Joshua asked.

"Uhuh." Lucy gave both boys a wide, excited smile, "He looks like a Plue doesn't he?" She held out little Plue, "Anything else we should go over?" She asked.

The little spirit shook its head.

"Alright! I'll see you again when I summon you next." Lucy smiled. Plue uttered a cheerful 'Puuun' before disappearing in a shimmer of light.

Joshua and Natsu watched as Lucy giddly took the notepad over to her desk and stored it inside.

"Those notes are important." She quietly reminded herself.

"That's it?" Joshua abruptly asked.

Lucy glanced over at the two boys.

"That was kinda boring." Natsu shrugged.

"All you did was ask it questions." Joshua commented.

"I asked _him_ questions." Lucy corrected, "And those questions are crucial to a celestial spirit's contract. If I fail to get those details correct then I may try to summon him on day he is unavailable. If that happens the gate will fail to open. Or if it does open and he is summoned, he may not be very happy with me. And I prefer to keep my spirits happy."

"Why?" Joshua asked.

"Why?" Lucy repeated, "Well, my spirits aren't just a part of my magic. They're my friends. And I want what is best for my friends. And before you say anything else about how dumb a contract is. Just know that a contract is extremely important to form between a wizard and a spirit. It's like a promise between the two. And because I view it as a promise, I take my promises very seriously. It's part of being a celestial wizard."

Both Natsu and Joshua stared dumbstruck at Lucy.

"That's actually really cool." Joshua smiled.

"Definitely. So if you make a promise to a friend, then you always keep it. I think that's awesome!" Natsu clapped.

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up, "Well, I try my best to."

"We'd love to team up with you, Lucy!" Natsu grinned, "Cause you won't let us down."

Lucy's hands held her cheeks, "Well, like I said. I'll do my best and-"

"We've already got a job picked out. And you're going to love it!" Natsu interrupted as he withdrew a roll of paper from his waistcoat.

"Yeah!" Joshua continued, "It'll easily help pay your rent."

Lucy blinked, "Really?"

"Absolutely." Joshua then elbowed Natsu, "Right? It'll help pay her rent?" He whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Relax. I got this." Natsu replied as Lucy snatched the job request from Natsu's hand.

She silently read the job request. Then a large smile came over her face.

"Two hundred thousand jewel just to help destroy some book that belongs to this Everlue guy!" Lucy exclaimed.

Joshua's eyes practically popped out of his skull, "That's a lot of money." he muttered.

"Yup." Natsu grinned, "And you're perfect for the job."

"I am?" Lucy read down further, "Duke Everlue is a pervy old man currently looking to hire a… new… beautiful… blonde… house maid."

Joshua gaped at Natsu as the pink haired boy gave Lucy a wide smile.

"See! Perfect for the job! And you agreed to be a part of our team. So you will definitely help us out, right?"

Joshua's eyes only grew wider.

 _Natsu is a master manipulator._ Joshua's eyes flicked back and forth between a beaming Natsu and a flabbergasted Lucy, _I must learn more from this great master!_

 __"Um- I- uh-"

"Awesome!" Natsu grabbed the paper from Lucy's hands, "I knew you'd like it. Get some rest, because we are going to leave early tomorrow morning." He waved at Joshua, "Come on kid, you have got to get back home before Mira finds out you've been gone this long."

Lucy's mouth opened then snapped shut.

"Natsu I- uh-" She stopped speaking as she watched the pair jump out of her broken apartment window. Her right eye began to twitch.

 _So that's what caused the crash I heard earlier._

"See you tomorrow Lucy!" Natsu shouted from the street.

"Yeah! See you tomorrow Lucy!" Joshua echoed.

Lucy leaned out her window.

"USE THE DOOR NEXT TIME!" She shouted after them as the pair sprinted along the canal in the direction of Fairy Hills.

….

Joshua held his hands out to his sides as he balance on top of the wall that lined Magnolia's main canal. On the ground beside him walked Natsu and Happy. The trio were nearly to Fairy Hills. Joshua had repeatedly told them as they got closer that he would be fine walking the rest of the way on his own. But Natsu would not hear of it.

"There's no way I'm letting a kid like you walk around alone at night." He recalled Natsu saying to him.

Joshua did not know why that concerned Natsu. He always seemed pretty relaxed when it came to the rules. So why did he care about making sure he got home safe and sound? Magnolia was a safe enough place. And as far as Joshua was concerned, no one would dare try to hurt him lest they risk the wrath of Titania, Erza Scarlet.

 _Maybe he's that scared of Erza?_ Joshua wondered to himself.

He let out a small yelp as his foot slipped on a west patch of stone. But he quickly caught himself.

"You ok?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah." Joshua said as he attempted to slow his racing heart, "Just practicing my balance. Erza says I have really poor balance."

Natsu laughed, "Obviously. You can barely stay upright on that wall."

Joshua's could feel the smile fade from his face. Natsu noticed this as well.

"But hey, don't beat yourself up over that. You'll only get better." Natsu reassured him.

That only made Joshua frown, "I don't get it." He stopped walking along the wall. Natsu paused a few steps in front of him.

"Don't get what?" Natsu asked.

"How am I supposed to get stronger if I can't go on jobs? It's one thing to practice right? It's another to actually do everything while in action. But everytime I ask to go on jobs, even easy ones, Erza shuts me down."

Natsu shrugged, "She's got her reasons. Trust me. If anyone is able to properly train someone for guild jobs, it's her."

Joshua frowned, "You're not just saying that because you're afraid of her, are you?"

Natsu shook his head, "Nope." he started walking towards Fairy Hills again. Joshua followed him as he tiptoed along the stone wall, "Erza only wants what's best for the guild and the people in it. So if she doesn't think you're ready, she's probably right."

Joshua lowered his head and his pace slowed.

"But like I said, don't worry. She'll have you ready to go in no time." Natsu then snapped his fingers, "Tell you what, this job me and Lucy are going to go on tomorrow sounds pretty harmless. I'll ask Mira if you could tag along."

Joshua's face lit up, "Really!"

Natsu grinned, "I mean, I hope there'll be a fight. Cause I do like fighting." He smacked a fist into a open palm, "But I don't think there'll be much fighting. All we're doing is destroying a stupid book. It shouldn't be too dangerous. If Mira gives the ok, I'll let you tag along."

"Awesome!" Joshua jumped up off of the wall and landed in front of Natsu. His smile faltered ever so slightly, "But, what if Erza doesn't approve?"

Natsu waved his concern off, "She'll have Mira to deal with then. And Mira is no where near as afraid of Erza as the rest of us are."

Joshua raised an eyebrow as the pair walked up to the Fairy Hill's main door. Natsu placed his hand on the door handle to the girl's dormitory and pushed the door open.

"Why's that?" Joshua asked.

"I'll tell you some other time. I'm not allowed in here, only you are cause you're little." Natsu teased.

Joshua grit his teeth, "I'm not little!"

Natsu laughed, "Right! Get some sleep kid. If Mira says ok, I'll come by to wake you up for the job in the morning."

Joshua forgot his anger and smiled at Natsu as the fire dragon slayer waved goodbye and walked away from the door.

"Sure thing Natsu!" Joshua waved.

As Natsu disappeared down the road, Joshua smiled and rushed up to the first door on the left. Erza's door. The one that led to her massive dorm room. She paid for all of the space. But in her opinion, it was worth it. After all, how else was she supposed to store all her armors.

Thankfully, Erza was still out on her latest job. Otherwise, Joshua had no doubt she would scold him for being out so late.

 _And lucky for me she has a spare bedroom so I don't have to sleep on those stupid infirmary cots anymore._ Joshua winced at the memory of those cots.

He reached into his pocket. His lips creased into a frown. His left hand reached into his other pocket. The frown deepened. He finally looked into the folds of his cloak. Then the sleeves. Then down his shirt, around his feet, and inside of his left shoe.

"Crap." Joshua muttered before banging his head against the door, "I forgot my key."

 **And chapter! A slow chapter. Much more of a character one than anything else. I was always stunned by how Natsu managed to get Lucy to go on the Everlue mansion job with him. Especially after finishing the anime and looking back on that moment. You wouldn't think Natsu was really able to pull off something like that but he does so multiple times at the beginning of the series. It's actually quite hilarious. I'm really enjoying this rewrite so far. It's allowing to go far deeper into these characters than I did in the previous story.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	9. The Twenty Million Jewel Job

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 9

The Twenty Million Jewel Job

Qui Gon Jinn bolted upright in his bed. His robes were soaked with sweat. He ran his hands over his cold face. The clammy skin felt abrasive, numb. That vision, it was the most vivid it had ever been. He rubbed his fingers together. His attempt at regaining his composure. Ensuring that he was actually back in the natural world.

The realm of the force was a perplexing world. A dangerous one for those who did not know how to walk along the right path. The force could be deceptive if it desired to. Or it could be the most enlightening power in the galaxy. One had to commit their entire life to its study in order to understand it. And despite nearly fifty years of study, Qui Gon Jinn had yet to fully grasp what the force could be telling him in this particular vision.

It had been relatively the same since he first had it as a young man. That being four red blades ignited among Jedi lightsabers. The red blades would devour the blue and green. Snuffing out the light and replacing it with shadow. Then one of the red blades would break off from the others. It would stand with what appeared to be the elements of nature themselves. And both Jedi and red blades would be against it.

He had brought the vision up to Master Yoda on multiple occasions. He was one of two that he actually trusted to discuss this vision with. Even the great Jedi Grand Master was perplexed, even disturbed by the visions connotations. The symbolism was quite obvious really. A threat would come to the Jedi and proceed to wipe them out. He, Master Yoda, and the other man he trusted with this vision, Dooku, had deduced that very early on in their study. But all three were at a disagreement over what the other half of the vision meant.

Why would one of the red blades turn away? Why would it turn from destroying the Jedi blades and instead turn to defending fire, wind, ice, gold, and steel?

Qui Gon ran a hand through his long hair and let out a loud sigh. He glanced out the window of his room. It was still very early in the morning. Coruscant's sun had not even begun to peak over the horizon yet. Then again, the planet was always bright. The constant lights from the massive city that covered the entire planet ensured that a sun was really not necessary for this world. It was a world that never slept. Although at times, Qui Gon wished it did. It would provide some much needed silence, clarity, in order to hear the will of the Force.

The door to his room opened with a quiet hiss.

"Master?"

Qui Gon glanced over and saw his young student standing in his night robes. He seemed worried. Nervous even. Perhaps the boy sensed his master's distress? Obi Wan was always very sensitive to the emotions of others.

"You should be asleep, Obi Wan." Qui Gon muttered.

The young man rubbed the back of his head, "I can't." He flopped down in a chair near Qui Gon's bed.

The older jedi rubbed his temples. His eyes still felt tired.

"And why not, Obi Wan?"

His padawan opened his mouth, then closed it. He was hesitating?

"I… I think I'm having visions, Master."

Qui Gon's eyes instantly became alert.

"Visions?" He asked, his voice calm and collected.

Obi Wan nodded, "Yes Master."

The Jedi Master turned to face his student. His long legs rolled out of his sheets and his feet rested on the floor.

"Tell me." Qui Gon asked.

Obi Wan shifted in his seat.

"The thing is, I can't make much sense of it." Obi Wan began, "It… it is as if I was only being shown fractions of a full picture."

Qui Gon nodded. He understand that very well. He had the same feeling about the visions that had been bothering him for a long time. Only through intense study and meditation had he been able to make it seem far clearer than before.

"I um," Obi Wan glanced to the walls around him. Qui Gon could feel the anxiety in his padawan. The vision had disturbed him a great deal, "I saw war." Obi Wan began, "I saw legions of soldiers marching to the command of one voice. Jedi led them, but they also didn't. The voice that led them all was distorted, unclear. Shadowed away from my sight. I could not place where it was coming from. It seemed everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Almost mocking me as I searched for it. The voice was like a ghost or a phantom. Present but unrecognizable and faceless."

Qui Gon leaned closer to Obi Wan as the young man spoke. His apprentice was always a strong man. Rarely prone to displays of anxiety or fear. Stubbornness and a touch of arrogance for certain. Qui Gon attributed that to his own instructions. A student often times reflected their Master's own tendencies after all. Both would go away with time and experience. But this was the first time in a long time that Obi Wan was genuinely disturbed.

"When I finally found the cause of the voice controlling it all. It… it laughed. Like it reveled in being found out. Then everything shifted. The war moved to a place I had never seen before. A place filled with people that possessed abilities that were absolutely extraordinary. A planet actually. One filled with life, happiness, and hope. And as the war came it was slowly poisoned. I saw Jedi on that planet, fighting against its people. I saw this planet's own citizen killing each other. I saw someone that looked like a Jedi yet I knew was not one dueling against a woman who I don't believe was a Jedi yet clearly behaved like one." Obi Wan rubbed his head, "Honestly it's far too confusing for me to fully piece together."

Qui Gon nodded in understanding, "Did it have an ending? Or was that it?"

Obi Wan gulped, "It did." He took a shuddering breath, "The planet and everyone on it, Jedi, soldier, civilian, they all died." He gulped down another shaky breath, "And that voice just laughed more."

Qui Gon's eyes narrowed. He could see why his padawan was so disturbed. Just hearing about this vision caused Qui Gon to pause and wonder why such a bleak possibility was shown to his student. The Force was clearly trying to warn them of dark times to come. But how and when would these times reach them? Qui Gon folded his arms and rested his chin against his chest.

"Master?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think of all of this?"

Qui Gon sighed. He was not sure himself, "All of this," he began, "Is a possibility. Not a reality. Remember Obi Wan, the force is always in motion. As is the future. To attempt to predict such things and react to said prediction, is to invite disaster."

Qui Gon rested a hand on his padawan's shoulder. Obi Wan was growing into a great Jedi. He could clearly see that. And soon, his time for the trials would come. And Qui Gon had no doubt that Obi Wan would pass them. But he still had one lesson yet to learn from him. And it was the most difficult on of all. It was the most difficult lesson his own master, Dooku, had ever imparted on Qui Gon.

"Reside in the living force, Obi Wan. Be mindful of the moment. And the force will guide you."

Obi Wan's brow furrowed in confusion, "I… I'll try, Master."

Qui Gon smirked, "What does Master Yoda always say?"

The padawan rolled his eyes, "There is no try."

Qui Gon nodded. Just as he was about to fall back into the embrace of his mattress, his communicator buzzed near his bedside. Qui Gon took one glance.

"Get dressed Obi Wan." Qui Gon rose to his feet, "The council has need of us."

Obi Wan raised an eyebrow, "Why now? At this hour?"

Qui Gon ran a hand over his tired face, "Apparently there is a crisis on Naboo. One that requires our attention."

….

Joshua could not suppress the massive grin on his face as sat beside Lucy inside of the small wooden cart. Somehow, Natsu had convince Mirajane to allow him to tag along on his latest job. Granted, it was a fairly simple job. Meet the client, discuss the job, go to the job, destroy a book, collect two hundred thousand jewel. Simple, to the point, no mess and no hassle. He swung his legs in the air. The excitement he felt only grew as the cart rumbled along the road towards Shirotsume town. This was his first ever official guild job! And he was not even technically a guild wizard yet!

He laughed to himself. How many people could claim that distinction? Only him. And he was proud of it.

Across the cart, he heard Natsu let out a long, pained groan.

"This happens to him every time doesn't it?" Lucy wondered aloud.

Joshua glanced across at Natsu. The poor guy was leaning up against the cart wall. His head was resting against the wall. His face was a horrid green color that betrayed how ill Natsu actually felt. Then there was the sweats breaking out over the rest of his body. Joshua sighed as he watched the dragon slayer suffer.

"Apparently." Joshua replied.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"Would you all quit staring." Natsu gulped back a shaky breath, "It's only making it worse."

Joshua shrugged, "It's not like there's anything else worth looking at in here."

Lucy bit back a snarky response. Joshua was just a little kid. He did not yet understand the concept of female beauty. So she leaned back in her seat, folded her hands in her lap, and waited for the cart ride to eventually come to an end.

"How's Erza?" She asked abruptly.

Joshua shrugged, "I don't know. She's still out on that S-class job. I haven't heard anything from her."

"Doesn't that make you nervous at all?" Lucy asked.

Joshua shook his head, "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because Erza's the best." Joshua replied with all the confidence in the world, "She's the strongest wizard in the guild. I know it. There's no way a monster or a dark wizard, or anyone, will ever be able to beat her. Especially now." Joshua's lips parted into a grin that ran from ear to ear, "But one day, I will be stronger than her. Magic or no magic, one day I will pass her up." He smiled at Lucy, "On that day, I hope she is smiling."

Lucy stared dumbfounded at Joshua. This little kid had high ambitions didn't he? Erza was the strongest wizard Lucy had ever seen. The amount of magic power she had unleashed just on Bora of Prominence had caused Lucy to shake uncontrollably. And the blonde doubted that was the extent of what Titania was capable of. For this little kid, magic-less and small, to want to surpass Erza, though admirable, did not seem possible to Lucy.

"I'm sure you'll get there eventually." Lucy smiled back, "You've just gotta keep working and training hard."

Joshua nodded. The cart slowed then came to a steady stop.

"Here we are!" Their driver called from outside, "Shirotsume town."

Natsu blinked and burst out of the car, nearly tearing the door from the hinges as he rushed out of the vehicle.

"FREEDOM!" Natsu bellowed the sky as he stood in the center of Shirotsume town.

"Uh…"

"Just go with it, Joshua." Lucy said as they both watched Natsu and Happy celebrate.

….

Shirotsume town was a rather unassuming little place. It was quiet, much like Magnolia in a way. Although Magnolia had a… magic to it that Joshua had difficulty placing. Maybe it was the crystal clear canals that criss crossed the town. Or perhaps the white stone roads that made Magnolia shimmer in the sunlight during the noon hour. That's not to say Shirotsume town was without its own beauty. But it was a different kind.

The town was much more rugged than Magnolia. The train station dropped the three wizards and cat off right at the entrance of town. There was a simple dirt road that eventually was covered by paved stones. That road led to the town center where there were several shops, a restaurant here and there, and a magic shop for any wizard passing through town. There was not many people walking the streets. All in all, it was very quiet.

Quiet that was, until the Natsu and Joshua felt their stomachs grumbling. Then it was off to the closest restaurant. There the pair devoured the entire menu twice over, leaving the poor chef blue in the face as he tried to keep up with the starving wizards.

"I wonder why Lucy decided not to join us?" Joshua asked before shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Natsu shrugged, slurped up some noodles, then frowned, "It would have been more fun if she had eaten with us." He chugged some apple juice before digging into a piece of meat, "I mean, we're supposed to be a team right?" He finished with his mouth full of food.

"Yeah," Joshua nodded in agreement, "And as a team, we should be working together."

"EXACTLY!" Natsu chirped, "And that means eating together, traveling together," He shoved a bread loaf down his throat, chewed for a moment, then swallowed, "training together, sleeping together-"

"Do you think we should save some food for Lucy?" Joshua interrupted.

Natsu glanced over at Happy.

"We should save her some of the fat parts." Natsu grinned.

"She looks like she enjoys the fat parts." Happy chirped.

"Hold it right there cat, what the heck is that supposed to mean?" A voice asked.

Joshua and Natsu blinked. The pair turned to see Lucy standing in front of their table. Her normal outfit was gone. In its place was a full blown maid costume. Apron and all. Natsu's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he stared at Lucy. Meanwhile, Joshua narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What's with the get up?" Joshua asked.

Natsu leaned over to Happy, "I didn't think she'd take the whole maid thing this far?" He whispered.

"It's not just a get up!" Lucy huffed, "This is how I'm going to get the job with Duke Everlue. I mean after all," Lucy put a finger to her chin, leaned toward the boys, and put on a cute smile, "I make it work don't I?"

Both Natsu and Joshua stared blankly at the blonde.

"Make what work?" Joshua asked.

"So are you like," Natsu swallowed another bite of food, "actually a maid or-"

Lucy hung her head, "You boys are impossible."

"Um?" Joshua asked as Lucy took a long sigh and sat down beside the ten year old. He looked over at Natsu with a look that begged for help, "What did I say?"

"I don't know." Natsu shrugged.

"Don't worry about it." Lucy replied nonchalantly, "So, are you guys almost done eating? Because we need to go meet the client before it gets too late."

Joshua shoveled another spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. He chewed for a brief moment before smiling.

"I guess I'm full."

"Weak." Both Natsu and Happy replied.

Joshua glared daggers at the two, "I could eat more than you two easily! Watch me do-"

Lucy's hands gripped boht Natsu and Joshua by the arm. With strength that surprised both boys, she yanked them from the booth, slapped some jewel down on the table, then marched out of the restaurant with the pair in tow. Both boys shouting in protest as they left plates of unfinished food. Meanwhile Happy floated beside the trio with a fish dangling from his mouth.

….

"My name is Kaby Melon. Pleased to meet you." The older man in a fancy three piece suit said with a small smile.

Joshua, Natsu, and Happy stared at him wide eyed.

"He said melon!" Joshua cried, his mouth watering and his stomach rumbling.

"You have a delicious name sir!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

Lucy glared at both boys, "Don't be rude boys."

Kaby Melon laughed then leaned forward in the couch he was sitting on.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot." He said with another laugh.

"Still, I apologize." Lucy replied. Though she was not focused on the apology.

That name, Kaby Melon. It sounded familiar to her. But she could not place why. She took a closer look at the man's appearance. He wore a nice suit, his hair was graying though the small mustache above his lip was nowhere near as gray as the hair on top of his head. There were some deep lines on his face. But beyond that, there wasn't anything too recognizable about the name. She glanced behind the man to the woman standing behind.

Just like Kaby, she was completely unassuming. Normal in almost every way. Kaby had introduced her as his wife earlier. And she seemed just like any doting housewife. Everything about the pair was normal, unassuming, not fantastic or memorable in any way.

 _So why does his name ring a bell?_

"Now that introductions are out of the way," Kaby continued, "I assume you two want to know about the job?"

"Oh!" Lucy was jerked out of her thoughts by Kaby's question, "Yes!"

Kaby's grin wavered as he leaned forward. His hands folded as he rested his arms on his knees.

"Duke Everlue has a book in his possession. It is called _Daybreak_. I would like for you to burn it for me."

Natsu smirked, "Burn a book? No problem." He held a finger aloft and the tip on fire, "I'll burn the whole place down if you want."

Lucy sighed, "I'm not going to jail because you like fire too much!"

"I'm with Lucy on this one." Joshua stated as Natsu glanced over at the ten year old.

Lucy returned her attention to Kaby, "So, may I ask why you want this book burned, sir?"

Natsu folded his arms, "For two hundred thousand jewel, who the heck cares?"

"Two hundred thousand?" Kaby echoed, "I'm-I'm afraid there's been a mistake."

"What? Has the reward has been lowered or something?" Joshua asked.

"The reward has been raised to two million."

The three wizards were silent for a moment. Then their jaws hit the floor.

"TWO MILLION!" All three cried out simultaneously.

"I'm sorry," Kaby said, "I thought you were aware the number had changed."

"Two-two-two m-million." Joshua stammered. With wide eyes, he began counting on his fingers, "That's like um- for me- um- I -"

"We can't even do the math!" Natsu cried.

"Wait I got it!" Happy exclaimed, "I get one million. Natsu gets one million. Joshua and Lucy get the rest!"

"That sure sounds fair to me." Natsu said with a grin.

"HEY!" Joshua cried.

"That leaves none for me!" Lucy roared.

"Are we forgetting who formed this team in the first place? I should get at least some jewel out this!" Joshua exclaimed.

"You're not even a member of the guild yet!" Both Lucy and Natsu roared back.

"I-" Joshua folded his arms and sank into the couch cushions, "I don't like that answer." He pouted.

Lucy shook her head. This was just getting stranger now. Two million jewel just to destroy one book? That made no sense!

"Why did you change the reward?" Lucy abruptly asked.

Kaby's hands tightened in front of him "Because… because it means that much to me. Daybreak must be destroyed at any cost."

Natsu, Lucy, and Joshua sat quiet for a moment. Then, in the blink of any eye, Natsu grabbed Lucy by the wrist and raced out of the small house they were in. Happy sprouted his wings and zipped after them.

"OH YEAH!" He bellowed as he charged down the road, dragging Lucy behind him, "I'm all fired up now!"

"Hey slow down!" Lucy screamed as they pair disappeared down the road.

Kaby glanced up as the two wizard shot out of the house. He arched an eyebrow as the little boy that had accompanied them did not move from his spot on the couch.

"Aren't you going with them?" He asked.

Joshua huffed, "I'm not a part of the guild apparently. So no. They won't get my help."

Kaby let out a small chuckle. He leaned back in his seat and unfolded his hands.

"Don't take what they said too personally kid."

Joshua glanced up at the older man.

"They're your friends, aren't they?" Kaby continued, "You may not be considered a member of their guild, but you should still help them. That's what friends do after all."

Joshua closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"Why do you old people always make sense?"

Kaby uttered a soft chuckle, "Because we have the experience to back it up. Now get going. Your friends were moving fast, and well, with how small you are, it may take you a bit to catch up."

Joshua grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and stomped a foot on the floor.

"I AM NOT TINY!" He roared before charging out of the house, his cloak billowing out behind him, nearly tripping him up as he rushed after Natsu and Lucy.

….

It did not take very long to reach Duke Everlue's mansion. It was located just outside of Shirotsume town. And it was easily the biggest building in the sleepy little place.

Both Joshua and Natsu starred in stunned awe at the sheer size of the mansion from behind some trees. The pair did not dare get near the mansion just yet. After all, they were not the ones applying for the maid position. Lucy was. So why would they have to get close to the mansion. They both agreed that if anything went wrong, they would be there to help Lucy out. But beyond that, it was up to her.

The blonde wizard was not very happy with the plan, but she figured it was better than the normal plan for a Fairy Tail wizard. And by normal plan, that usually meant no plan if how the jobs in Hargeon and Mt. Hakobe were any evidence to go by. So, Lucy reluctantly agreed to the plan. She hopped out of their hiding spot just down the road from the mansion and lazily strolled up the mansion's front gates.

She hesitated as she approached the gates. The mansion was even bigger up close. How on earth was she going to find a single book in this place? There had to be at least a hundred rooms in the mansion. Maybe more. Lucy gulped then rang the bell.

"Um hello!" She called, "I'm here to apply for the open maid position?"

There was no reply. The mansion looked empty. There was no activity on the inside. She could not hear anyone on the outside either. Just quiet.

Lucy tensed up. Why was the ground near her feet shaking?

Dirt flew upwards as a large hole erupted in the ground near her. Lucy scrambled back as a massive, pink haired woman leaped from the hole. The woman was easily three times the size of Lucy. She looked like a human elephant. Her arms were as thick as Lucy's entire body. Her legs were like tree trunks. And her face resembled that of a bulldog. She wore a maid uniform nearly identical to Lucy's. Though hers was much larger.

"So you're here to apply for the open maid position?" The woman rumbled.

Lucy gulped, "Uh… yeah."

Lucy let out a surprised yelp as a second hole erupted in the ground beside her. As dirt flew by her, a second figure surged from the hole in the ground. This time it was a man dressed in a swanky suit with a large gold button on his chest. A thin, twirling mustache rested just below his large nose. He was not a large man at all. When he landed beside Lucy he was a head shorter. Lucy glanced down at the man nervously. The suit was all she needed in order to know who this strange man was.

The man uttered a hearty laugh before looking Lucy up and down, "So you are the new maid applicant then?"

Lucy gave the man a sweet smile. It was a fake sweet smile. But he did not need to know that.

"Of course." Lucy grinned, "Duke Everlue."

The odd man stared hard at her. His beady little eyes glanced at every part of Lucy. From the top of her head, to the bottom of her feet, he evaluated her. All the way, Lucy kept that sweet grin on her face. Though as time passed, as those eyes roved her, the smile grew more and more strained.

 _Would this pervert finish already?_ She thought to herself.

"Hm," Duke Everlue put a finger to his round chin. He then shook his head and turned on his heel, "No thanks. Get lost ugly."

"WHA!" Lucy cried.

"You heard the master. Go home, ugly." The massive, pink haired maid repeated.

Lucy hung her head, "I'm what- but- how am I ugly?"

"You just are." Duke Everlue replied dismissively, "I only hire the finest of beauties in the land. And well, you're not."

"Ooooh." Lucy sighed.

"Now scram already!" Duke Everlue barked before disappearing into the earth with his massive maid.

Lucy sniffled as the pair disappeared.

"I'm not ugly." She muttered.

"Well way to go Lucy." Natsu said as he and Joshua emerged from their hiding spot.

"There goes the easy way of getting into the mansion." Joshua sighed.

"It's not my fault!" Lucy cried defensively, "That old pervert would not know beauty if it bit him in the ass!" Lucy folded her arms over her chest, "I'm going to deliver some payback for that insult!"

Natsu smacked a fist into an open palm, "Do you hear that Happy? It looks like Lucy is ready for Plan T!"

"Aye!"

"Plan T?" Lucy questioned.

"Natsu. Does Erza need to teach you the alphabet again?" Joshua asked.

Natsu shuddered at the thought, "N-no. I know my abc's just fine kid! And Plan T is called Plan T for a reason!"

"What reason?" Lucy asked.

"Plan T, is take em by storm!" Happy cheered.

Natsu nodded, "Damn right."

Joshua felt a smile growing on his lips, "Take em by storm?" he rubbed his hands together, "I can finally put Erza's training to use! Let's execute Plan T!"

The boys began to charge towards the mansion gate. Both skidded to a halt as they felt someone snag them by the back of their shirts and yank them backwards.

"Oh no! I am not going to jail just because you both want to go destroy some stuff!" Lucy huffed, "If we are going to have to break into the mansion, then we are going to do it the right way."

Joshua and Natsu gave each other a puzzled look. Lucy began to speak a plan out loud. But neither really listened. All they could hear was the maniacal chuckles erupting from Lucy's throat as she detailed how they would break into the mansion, find the book, burn the book, then beat up Duke Everlue and his ugly maid. Joshua leaned over to Natsu.

"I have a very bad feeling about this." Joshua whispered as Lucy began to chuckle to herself.

Natsu gulped, "You're telling me."

….

"So, we have more wizards knocking on our door?" Duke Everlue growled as he stared into a small lacrima.

He lounged back in his gold and velvet chair. Relaxing in its embrace. Above him stood a floor to ceiling painting of himself. Only the greatest works of art would adorn his home's walls. And that piece happened to be the greatest.

His fingers tapped together as he stared at the wizards arguing outside his home.

"And these ones are from Fairy Tail." He muttered once he caught a glimpse of the guild mark on the blonde's hand, "Good thing I did not hire her." He frowned, "Why do these infernal guild wizards continue to try and break into my home?"

His eyes widened. Could it be? Do they know about how he came to be so wealthy? He gulped. Those activities were highly illegal. If the magic council found out then he would be ruined! He would be imprisoned. Or worse, the people who helped make him wealthy would come after him. _He_ would come after him.

Duke Everlue ran a trembling hand over his face. His fingers twisted his mustache. If _he_ found out that wizards had infiltrated and discovered his dealings, then there was a far worse fate than prison awaiting him. He watched as the blue cat the wizards had with them sprouted wings and transported the pink haired boy and the ugly blonde woman over his walls and up onto his roof. Meanwhile, the little boy they brought with them was throwing a tantrum outside of the walls. His feet stomped in the dirt as he cried how it was unfair that they would get all of the action and he had to be the lookout.

Duke Everlue grinned. They left their most vulnerable all alone. He tapped the lacrima. The face of his most trusted maids came into view.

"My beautiful girls." He smiled.

"Yes master!" The maids cooed.

"There are intruders entering the mansion. Virgo will deal with two of them. But there is a little boy waiting outside that I want captured and brought to me. I have some questions for him."

"We will deliver him to you, master!" The maids cried in unison.

"I know you will." Everlue tapped the lacrima again. The older wizards were on his roof now. One was kneeling down beside a window. Fidgeting with the glass from the looks of things.

He chuckled as they gained entry to his mansion. They may have gotten past his exterior defenses, but these Fairies would not leave his mansion alive. He tapped the lacrima, directing Virgo to retrieve his valuable guests and to capture the intruders.

"Lets see how well you deal with Virgo and the Vanish Brothers, little Fairies."

 **And chapter! This one was a touch difficult to write. I don't want every chapter to just be about the OC. I do want to put more focus on the Fairy Tail characters than I did in the original story (after re-reading and cringing a lot, I found that to be one of the biggest flaws in the Dark Fairy). I'm also trying to craft a bit of a new story out of the original fairy tail arcs. Connecting them in a way. You will see how that goes soon. There's already been a hint in a previous chapter.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


	10. Maid for Punishment

The Fairies of the Force

Chapter 10

Maid for Punishment

The doors to Seigrain's office opened then closed with a quiet click. The blue haired man's eyes flicked up from the documents in his hands.

"You're early." he commented.

Standing in front of the door was a woman with black hair and black eyes. A small smirk was resting on her lips as she strode towards his desk. Instead of taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of Siegrain's desk, she decided to rest on top of the furniture. She leaned close to the blue haired man as he studied the documents.

"So much paperwork. About nothing at all." Siegrain sighed before tossed the papers away. They landed with a soft flutter onto his desktop, "Honestly, this job is so dull."

"Good thing you have a better side occupation." The woman smirked.

Siegrain gave a small smile, "Absolutely, Councilwoman Milkovich. I must say, manipulating the magic council to my will is very fun indeed." He folded his hands in front of his face, "I'm curious about your end, Ultear. How did the meeting go?"

Ultear's lips parted into a wicked grin, "Splendidly."

She leaned closed to Siegrain ear so that only he could hear her. You could never be too careful in the Magic Council headquarters in Era. There were always ears listening. Org, one of the older councilmen, was a paranoid old fool. He knew all about the comings and goings of everyone in the council. Evading him always proved to be a challenge. And fooling him even more so. No matter what, that old man kept his ear to the ground. Listening for any inkling of a suspicious rumor revolving around the magic world.

And so, these meetings between herself and Siegrain were kept as secret as possible. Of course, Ultear always had an alibi for the meetings. She would always carry in a mountain of papers. Disguising her actual intentions under the boring task of mutual paperwork and guild penalties. There was also the not so subtle flirting she did that helped avert the prying eyes of the council. She did not mind Siegrain flirting back either. He was an attractive man, she was an attractive woman. That helped created a near flawless cover for the two since they were almost always visiting each other. All this was almost always enough to thwart Org's prying eye. Though he was still suspicious of the two youngest council members.

 _I can't imagine why?_ Ultear thought to herself.

Ultear chuckled before whispering into Siegrain's ear.

"He is ready."

Siegrain's eyes widened, "Are you certain."

"The tower has entered its final stage of construction." Ultear whispered, "All that is left is to draw a proper sacrifice to him."

"Then all of this work will be finished." Siegrain closed his eyes, "Zeref will be brought to us at last."

"Yes." Ultear agreed, "But with the end of our work comes one more thing."

Siegrain stared into Ultear's dark eyes, "Loose ends." He assumed.

Ultear nodded, "They must be taken care of before we can complete our plans."

Siegrain chuckled, "Well, we are already off to a great start then." He rose from his chair and walked over to the window. Ultear pouted as he moved away from her, "I assume Bora is utterly useless to the council now?"

Ultear smirked, "His brain is nothing more than a pile of mush now. He can barely form coherent sentences. So yes, he is useless."

Siegrain nodded as he stared out the window. Ultear had done it again. She had managed to destroy a loose end without drawing any suspicion to him or her. Sometimes that women disturbed the blue haired man. She was so damn effective at her job that it would often times stun Siegrain. And soon, her skills would be put to the ultimate test.

After all, she had to be the one to keep the council busy.

And he had loose ends to tie up.

Siegrain sighed then reached into his requip space. A white coat appeared over his shoulders. He buttoned the jacket, smoothed out some wrinkles, before turning on his heel and marching towards the door.

"Onto the first loose end." He opened the door then glanced back at Ultear, "Make sure my cover story for going to Shirotsume town is a good one."

"Don't I always create a convincing lie?"

Siegrain smirked, "Every time."

….

"I don't understand." Natsu complained. His hand was pressed against the glass pane of a window on Duke Everlue's roof. As he pressed his hand against the smooth surface, he heated his palm. The glass turned molten within seconds, allowing Natsu's hand to slip inside and unlatch the window, "Why couldn't we just break down the front door?"

"Because I'm not going to jail today." Lucy harrumphed.

"But it would have been way easier." Natsu replied as he slipped through the window and into the mansion. Lucy was right behind him.

"To you maybe." Lucy said, "But I'm not as much of a fighter as you are. And I don't want to go to jail."

Natsu frowned, "You keep saying that. But why not?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy asked.

Natsu gave her a confused look. Lucy rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Do you really think a delicate girl like me would survive in prison."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, "You're delicate?"

"And little?" Happy asked.

"I am delicate! And I am not fat!" Lucy roared.

Both Natsu and Happy hissed before placing their fingers to their lips.

"Shhhh." They both said to Lucy.

"Oh like you two actually care." Lucy waved her hand dismissively.

The pair set off to search the mansion. It was even bigger on the inside than Lucy imagined. There were rooms everywhere. ANd each room was different in its own unique way. Unfortunately, Lucy found out that Duke Everlue was indeed a rather strange man when she waltzed into his bathroom and noticed a gold plated toilet with his face carved into the seat.

"Strange." She uttered, completely disgusted.

"How in the world are we going to find one book in this place?" Natsu asked her as she stepped back out into the Hallway.

The fire dragon slayer had just finished searching the room next to the bathroom. Lucy was not surprised to see that he came out empty handed as well.

"Maybe we just haven't found the right room yet?" Lucy replied, "This guy's rich. So he probably has a library of some sort."

Natsu frowned but nodded. Lucy seemed to be right about a lot of things. So he listened to his gut and followed her gut. The logic made sense to him at least. Still though, there was one thing bothering him.

"I still don't understand why we didn't go with Plan T." Natsu grumbled as they walked down the hall towards a large foyer that led to even more rooms. At the center of the foyer was a massive marble statue of Duke Everlue that stood from floor to ceiling.

"Because fighting is more difficult than sneaking." Lucy remarked.

"I've never found that to be true." Natsu replied, folding his arms, "That Duke Everclear guy-"

"You mean Everlue." Lucy deadpanned.

"Yeah, him!" Natsu smirked, "He didn't look that tough. I'm sure we could have taken him and that ugly maid of his easily."

Lucy sighed. She was not going to win this argument with him, was she? What was the deal with his obsession with fighting? Lucy understood the need for fighting. People had to defend themselves after all. But Natsu almost always went looking for a fight.

 _One of these days that attitude of his is going to get him into trouble._

"Just keep sneaking around, ok?" Lucy finally replied, "Act like you're ninja or something."

Natsu's eyes bulged from his skull. Happy's jaw dropped.

"Nin-"

"Ja." Happy finished for Natsu, both of their voices giddy with excitement.

"Um guys?" Lucy asked.

Before she could get an answer a loud cry filled the cavernous foyer they were in. Lucy twirled around. Her eyes widened. Flying at them from above was the massive, pink haired maid from before.

"INTRUDERS!" The maid roared.

Lucy screamed then ducked to the left, narrowly dodging the maid. The massive woman collided with the floor with an enormous wham that caused the floor to tremble. Somehow, the impact did not faze her. The gigantic woman rose to her feet. She towered over both Natsu and Lucy.

"I will not allow intruders to disturb my Master's home!"

This time, the maid launched herself at Natsu. Unlike Lucy, Natsu did not dodge. The maid raised her enormous foot and stomped down at Natsu.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled as the dragon slayer took the blow head on.

To Lucy and the maid's immense surprise, Natsu shrugged off the attack. Fire licked the bottom of his feet. With a loud, shrill cry, Natsu leapt into the air and kicked the maid just beneath the jaw. The maid flew off of the second floor down to the main floor of the foyer. Her body's impact caused the tiles that lay beneath her to shatter.

Lucy grinned.

"That's how it's done Natsu!"

Her grin was quickly replaced by a look of disbelief.

"We are Ninja!" Natsu hissed as he pressed his hands together. The top of his head and his face were covered by the scaly white scarf he normally wore around his neck. Happy stood on his shoulder, copying Natsu's hand gesture.

"Ninja!" Happy hissed.

Lucy sighed.

 _Why are they such goofballs?_

….

Joshua sat in the dirt just outside of Duke Everlue's mansion. He stopped throwing his tantrum about ten minutes ago. Now he pouted outside of the mansion gates. HIs small hands ripped at some grass blades as he stared at the massive house.

"This sucks." he grumbled before lying down in the dirt.

He didn't get it. Natsu was all about Joshua shadowing him earlier. But now, Natsu and Lucy would not allow him to help out at all. He was just supposed to be a lookout. If Duke Everlue or anyone else became suspicious that wizards had broken into the mansion, Joshua was supposed to alert Lucy and Natsu.

 _Except how can I alert them when I can't get inside!?_ Joshua scowled. He let out a long breath through his nose, _I hate not having magic._

He stared up at the clear blue skies. At least it was a nice day outside. He wasn't standing outside in the rain or anything like that. Who knows, maybe Natsu and Lucy would actually need his help after all. But most likely not. Joshua felt that the pair would emerge from the mansion at anytime now. All he could do now was wait.

He grimaced as his stomach rumbled.

 _Great._ He rolled his eyes, _I'm bored and hungry._ He placed his hands behind his head and sighed, _I should have stayed home and trained. It would have been more exciting than this._

A warning went off in his mind. Joshua jolted upright. There it was again. That strange, instinctive feeling he had back at Mount Hakobe. The feeling that warned him of the Vulcan's ambush. He was feeling it again. This time, the sense of danger was not coming from above him. Or around him.

 _Below me!_

Joshua jumped out of the way as several small holes erupted in the earth. As he rolled, five maids jumped out of the ground. All of the maids were normal looking humans. Well, almost normal. Joshua finally got a good look at them as they dust settled. And their appearance made him shiver.

"Lucy's right." Joshua shuddered as he looked at his five opponents, "This Duke guy has got one twisted sense of beauty."

"Who are you calling twisted kid!?" The first maid roared, her voice deep and throaty. Joshua cringed as her flabby cheeks flapped as she spoke.

"We ought to teach this kid a lesson in respect." Another maid, this one with a ridiculously long head, suggested.

The other maids just laughed before slowly moving towards Joshua.

The kid's eyes widened.

 _They're trying to capture me!_ He realized.

But why? What would these maids want with him? Joshua's eyes only grew wider. Did that Duke guy capture Lucy and Natsu too? Was he the only one left that could complete the mission? Joshua gulped. His feet slid in the dirt until he was in a wide stance. Just like how Erza taught him.

"I don't know what you ugly people want with me." Joshua said, "But I warn you, don't come any closer."

"Or what?" The first maid mocked, "You going to beat us up with your tiny hands?"

The other maids laughed as they encircled the boy. Joshua meanwhile, began to shake with fury.

"Our master told us to bring you to him. So that is exactly what we are going to do. Right girls?" The second maid crowed.

"Right!"

"I AM NOT TINY!" Joshua bellowed before launching himself at the first maid.

The maid was stunned by how quickly the boy moved. He jumped up and latched himself onto her face.

"Get off of me!" She screamed as Joshua pulled on her hair then threw her down to the ground. Joshua yanked on her head and the pair went tumbling down into the dirt. He then spun over the maid and pulled her arms behind her. Effectively pinning the woman to the ground.

"CALL ME TINY AGAIN! I DARE YOU!"

"Help me out!" The first maid bellowed.

The other maids shook themselves free of their initial shock. The other four charged at Joshua. Joshua blinked and looked around.

 _Crap._

There was no way he could dodge their attacks. He had a maid coming at him in all directions. And somehow they were all so fast. Joshua gulped, squeezed his eyes shut, and braced for the pain.

 **"** **Dark Grab!"**

Joshua waited. No pain came. No fists hit his small body. He was left completely unharmed. He carefully cracked his eyes open. His jaw hit the floor. The maids were all suspended mid-air. Each one struggled to reach him. But for some reason, they could not move. Joshua whipped his head around to see what was causing this.

Before he could even figure it out. A man strode up beside Joshua. He had blue hair and dark eyes. A long white coat was over his shoulders. But the most distinctive thing Joshua saw on him, was a tattoo etched around his right eye. Joshua's eyes widened as the man flexed the fingers on his right hand. The maids twirled in the air before being slammed into the dirt. Joshua gulped as he waited for the maids to get back up. But not a single one moved. The only conscious maid was the one Joshua had pinned beneath him.

"Really now, ladies." The man said, his tone both playful and dangerous at the same time, "Attacking a defenseless little boy. How rude."

"We were just doing as our master told us." The maid pinned beneath Joshua squirmed as she spoke.

The man chuckled, "Move off of her kid. She's not a threat."

Joshua gave both the maid and the man a hesitant glance. He was not sure if he should be listening to this guy. For some reason, he just got a bad vibe from the blue haired man. Although, the guy did just rescue him. Joshua frowned before stepping off of the maid.

"Now then miss." The man glowered at the maid, "Go in and tell your master that Councilman Siegrain is here to pay a visit." Joshua's eyes bulged from his skull, "And now I am quite angry with him."

The maid's own eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"C-council man Siegrain. Of the magic council!?"

Siegrain nodded. The maid stayed still. Too shocked to move.

"Well," Siegrain said, "What are you waiting for? I don't have all day."

The maid scrambled to her feet and rushed up to the mansion gates. She quickly flung them open and motioned for Siegrain to come. The man calmly marched forward but paused as he entered the grounds.

"You there child." Siegrain started. He glanced back at Joshua, "What is your name?"

"J-Joshua."

"And your last name?"

The boy cast a glance down at his feet.

"You don't have one?"

He shook his head.

"So are you here all alone, or are you with someone?" Siegrain asked, his voice becoming a bit more gentle as he spoke.

"Um," Joshua kicked the dirt at his feet, "I'm with Natsu and Lucy."

"Natsu?" Siegrain questioned, "As in Natsu Dragneel. The fire mage from Fairy Tail?"

Joshua nodded.

"May I ask where he and Miss Lucy are?"

Joshua opened his mouth to speak but then paused. This guy was on the magic council. Which meant that if he found out Lucy and Natsu had broken into someone's house, he had the authority to arrest them. He had the authority to punish them. Joshua bit his tongue. He had to think of a convincing lie. Fast!

Joshua pointed at the mansion. "We um… got a job request and er… they went in to speak to Duke Everlue about it."

Siegrain arched an eyebrow, "Duke Everlue sent Fairy Tail a job request?"

"Yes!" Joshua replied with a firm nod, "I'm technically not a guild wizard yet, so Natsu and Lucy told me to wait outside while they handled the official stuff."

"Oh really?" Siegrain rubbed his chin, "Then perhaps, they wouldn't mind if I brought you inside with me. After all, I must speak with Duke Everlue as well. Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone. You Fairies get your job request and I get to have my talk with Everlue."

"I-I'm not sure I should-"

"And besides, a child like you should not be out in the forest all alone." Siegrain continued, "Look how that ended up in the first place. It is just so irresponsible of your friends to do that."

"I really think that maybe you and I should wait our turn." Joshua cringed.

"Oh nonsense." Siegrain beckoned Joshua to follow him into the mansion, "Come along."

Joshua frowned. This guy was not going to relent was he. Maybe he could distract him from what Lucy and Natsu were doing inside? But the only way to do that was to follow Siegrain into the mansion and then divert his attention. Joshua groaned. This job just went from boring to a pain in the butt. He took a deep breath and marched towards the mansion gates, past Siegrain, then up to the mansion doors. The councilman walked alongside him.

"I hope you don't mind if I let myself in?" Siegrain called back to the nervous maid.

"N-not at all, sir." She gulped.

He pushed the door open.

"You first." He said to Joshua.

Joshua gulped, nodded, then entered the Everlue mansion.

….

"Lucy! Over here!" Natsu called from down a long hallway.

Lucy rushed out of what she thought was some sort of guest room and into the room Natsu was standing in. When she entered she was stunned.

"A… library." Lucy muttered.

There were books everywhere. Shelves stood from floor to ceiling in a massive circular room. Each shelf was filled to the brim with books. Big books, small books, books about everything Lucy could imagine. It was like entering her own personal version of heaven. Then a thought struck her.

 _With this many books… how are we going to find just one?_

Natsu was already way ahead of her. He had, in a not to gentle fashion, already begun tearing books free from their spots on the shelves. Each book he grabbed he would look at the cover, frown, then chuck it behind him in an ever growing pile of literature. Happy floated alongside him, occasionally muttering the titles to himself.

 _I guess I better get started too._

Lucy ran her finger along a group of books. Her eyes focused on the titles along the spine. There were some that she had read once. Some books she had read multiple times. And some books she had never even heard of before.

"Oh! This one is a porno!" Natsu called out as he aloft a pink colored book.

"Priorities Natsu. Priorities." Lucy deadpanned before the dragon slayer tossed that book into the pile behind him.

Lucy felt like the search was taking forever. She was certain they had been in the library for more than an hour when Natsu finally uttered an irritated growl.

"This is impossible!" Natsu yelled in frustration.

Lucy sighed and turned around to face him, "Well would you…" She froze and pointed at the small book held in his right hand, "Natsu, what does the title of that one say?"

"I don't know. I grabbed it because it was shiny and-" Natsu's eyes widened when he read the title.

There it was, in all it's gold colored glory.

 _Daybreak._

"We found it!" Natsu declared.

"Alright!" Lucy cheered as she rushed up to stand beside Natsu.

She looked down at the troublesome book. This job was supposed to be extremely easy. In the end it had become very frustrating. But in the end, the book was found. And they would exactly as Kaby instructed. Lucy felt heat near her as Natsu lit one of his hands on fire.

"Time to roast it." Natsu grinned.

Lucy took one last look at the book. It was a pretty little thing. It looked like it had hardly ever been opened. There was not a single crack in the spine. Not a single blemish on the pages as far as she could tell.

 _I wonder what it's about._

Her eyes fell onto the author's name written in blue on the bottom of the cover.

"WAIT!" Lucy cried. She snatched the book from Natsu's hands.

"Hey! What gives?"

"I can't believe it! This book was written by Kemu Zaleon!" Lucy cried as she held the book in the air, "I thought I had read all of his works. This must be an unpublished manuscript!"

"Who?" Happy muttered.

"Great, it's a brand new book for you." Natsu replied, "Now hand it over so we can finish this job."

Lucy gasped and clutched the book to her chest, "I will not!"

"Lucy!"

"A great piece of literature written by the masterful Kemu Zaleon should not ever be destroyed."

"But it's just a book." Natsu commented.

"It's not just a book. It is a book written by Kemu-"

"Kimmy the lion, yeah I get it. You've said that already." Natsu sighed, "We have a job to do Lucy. So just hand it-"

"Kemu Zaleon was a wizard before he was a writer. Did you know that?" Lucy continued, "A great wizard too. When he retired from guild work he decided to become a novelist." Lucy squeezed the book tighter against her chest, "It's my dream to be as great an author as he was!"

Natsu pinched the briged of his nose, "Lucy…"

"Would you let me read it first." Lucy complained as she cracked the book open and started to read the first pages.

"We don't have time for that Lucy! Hand it over already!" Natsu barked.

"No!"

"If Everlue comes in here we are-"

"If I come in here then what?"

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all froze. The door to the library was open once again. In stepped Duke Everlue, his hands clasped behind his round body. But he was not alone. Walking in with him was a stranger with blue hair and a tattoo over his right eye. And beside that stranger was-

"Joshua?" Lucy said.

"Hey, you're supposed to be the lookout!" Natsu exclaimed as he pointed at Joshua. Meanwhile, the kid frantically waved his hands. Trying to get Natsu to stop talking for one second.

"Lookout?" The blue haired man questioned.

He looked down at Joshua. The boy's forehead was covered in nervous sweat. He then glanced over at Duke Everlue. The perverted man was shaking with rage as he eyed the two Fairy Tail wizards in his library.

"Oh." The blue haired man chuckled, "I see. You fairies aren't here to accept a guild job from Duke Everlue. No, you are here to conduct one."

"That is not true!" Joshua declared, doing his best to maintain his composure despite his own anxiety.

"Give it a rest kid, we're caught." Lucy deadpanned.

"These brats have just broken into my home and vandalized my library! Not only that," Duke Everlue pointed at the book in Natsu's hand, "It appears they planned on pilfering Daybreak from me. I demand you arrest them for burglary, Councilman Siegrain."

"COUNCILMAN SIEGRAIN!" Lucy and Natsu cried.

Lucy began to tremble. This tall guy was with the magic council? She gulped.

 _I guess I really am going to jail today._

To Natsu and Lucy immense shock. Siegrain started laughing. At first it was a quiet laugh, barely audible. Then it crescendoed into a full blown chuckle. He patted Joshua on the back before pushing him towards Natsu and Lucy. The kid rushed up to the two wizards and hid behind Natsu as Siegrain laughed.

"This works out perfectly." Siegrain said as he caught his breath, "Natsu Dragneel and Miss Lucy," Duke Everlue grinned evilly at the two wizards. Siegrain then pointed a finger at Duke Everlue, "There is now a contract out on Duke Everlue."

"WHAT!?" Duke Everlue cried.

"He is wanted by the Magic Council on suspicion of funding an illegal slave trade."

Duke Everlue's face went pale. He looked up at Siegrain and saw a malicious sparkle in the councilman's eye. Everlue gulped. This was noa cordial visit from a member of the magic council after all. This was a visit from a man looking to tie up loose ends. And he was one large loose end.

"The reward has been set to four hundred thousand jewel."

Natsu and Lucy's jaws dropped. Behind them, Joshua clenched his fists at his side. He glared across the room at Duke Everlue. Eyes narrowed, knuckles white with fury.

Siegrain turned on his heel and opened the door, "I look forward to interrogating him at the council headquarters."

"But-but-but-"

Duke Everlue stopped stammering as Siegrain exited the library and walked to the mansion's exit. All the rich man could do was stare dumbfounded at Lucy, Natsu, and Joshua. Natsu looked excited. He pounded a fist into his hand and cracked his knuckles.

"Four hundred thousand jewel to turn you over to the council eh?" Natsu growled.

"For an illegal slave trade." Joshua snarled.

Lucy's eyes flicked between Natsu, Joshua, and Duke Everlue.

"So are we not going to burn the book?"

Joshua surged towards Duke Everlue. Just as he reached out to grab the man by the neck of his shirt, Duke Everlue activated his magic and tunneled out of the library.

"YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!" Joshua roared before he dove down into the tunnel.

"Joshua wait!" Lucy cried.

"Right behind you ki-"

There was a brief flash of movement. Without warning, a large frying pan slammed into Natsu from behind. The dragon slayer cried out in pain as he went flying through the doors of the library back out into the foyer.

Lucy blinked as two men appeared. The first was a tall man with a long nose in large, pointy purple hair. He stood with his fist clenched and feet planted as he readied himself for a possible counterattack. The second was a shorter man was bald with a long black braid that reached his lower back. He hefted an enormous frying pan in one hand while keeping the other hand behind his back. He looked calm. Focused. Dangerous.

"Despite these baseless accusations-" The first man began.

"We are still contracted by Duke Everlue to defend his person and his property." The second man continued.

"And the Vanish Brothers of the Southern Wolves guild never back away from a contract." The first brother declared.

The second brother grinned with excitement, "And we are never defeated in battle too."

Lucy gulped. There was a big fight about happen. And she did not want to be anywhere near it. As she was about to crawl away, a large, meaty hand gripped her ankle. Lucy cried out then looked down to see the massive pink haired maid had burrowed through the ground and grabbed her.

"Time for your punishment." The massive maid rumbled.

Lucy screamed as the maid dragged her through the floor then underground below the mansion. The entire time, she did not lose her grip on _Daybreak._

 **And chapter! As you can see, I decided to tweak the Daybreak arc a bit. One of my biggest goals for this story is to not just rehash every single arc. That would probably get boring pretty quickly both for you guys and for me as a writer. It's no fun just copying down everything from the anime. So I want to work in some original takes on the Fairy Tail arcs while still trying to maintain the spirit of them. I attempted to do that in the original version of this story, but I made a crucial error in only focusing on my OC instead of on all the other characters as a whole. This cut major storylines and cost me a lot of character development. And I regret that decision. So I'm attempting to fix that in this story. I hope I'm doing an ok job at it.**

 **So, we've got Lucy going into a showdown with Duke Everlue's top maid, Joshua chasing down Everlue while in a fit of rage, and Natsu being confronted by the Vanish Brothers. Meanwhile, Siegrain is up to something that is no good. Should make for an interesting chapter coming up. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!**


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